Wandering Thoughts
by Marilia.g
Summary: Random one-shots. Have fun!
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1 – GIVE ME SOME LEMON**

It was a summer day in some random city in Japan, in a random wooded nook that attracted elderly tourists seeking quietness or young Eco tourists seeking contact with nature plus a little adrenaline.

Today, however, there was something different about the landscape: vehicles, between vans, trailers and buses, occupied the inn's parking lot, and a frenzied turn-around added to the traditional sound of nature.

A recording was in progress.

When the director gave his okay to the scene, Ren sighed imperceptibly. The day was hot, hotter than normal, and that take had taken longer than necessary because of the slips of the actress with whom he was acting, more concerned with admiring him than doing the job for which she was being paid.

Not that Ren was thinking such things. For him, it was always a question of "good professional" and "bad professional," and the bad ones could be taught to be good. For some reason, he felt he had an obligation to teach the bad professionals how to be good professionals, a habit he did not remember how or when he had acquired it, but for a select group of people it was obvious that it was due to a certain kouhai, who made a point of always praising him as an excellent senpai.

Or, as Lory liked to tease, Ren was a perfect "Pavlov's dog," unconsciously fulfilling what Kyoko conditioned him to do with a few compliments.

Practically swallowing all the water from the bottle Yashiro gave him at once, he looked for Kyoko with his gaze. It was strange that she was not watching him, since she hardly missed the opportunity to learn anything from his acting, but found her nowhere else. Yashiro, deducing that Ren was intrigued by Kyoko's absence, commented that she murmured something like "unforgivable" and "unprofessional" before she left, walking toward the inn as if the ground she stepped on was her number one enemy .

Smiling as he imagined the scene, Ren checked with the director when he would be needed again on the set, thanking his good fortune to be able to count on an interval of one hour. Without wasting time, he returned to the inn ignoring the annoying agent, after all, after two years enduring Yashiro's quirks, Ren did not bother any longer.

Asking for Kyoko, he learned from the staff that she crossed the reception desk with a furious expression, headed toward the restaurant and from there, she stepped out the large door that led to the back of the forest.

So typical of her, seek refuge on the banks of a stream...

Ren laughed to himself as he wondered how he would surprise her. Should he lean quietly behind her and blow into her ear? Or should he stand behind the tree where he was and talk to her as if he were a forest spirit?

Approaching sneakily through the trees as a hiding place and the sound of the creek to cover up the sound of his footsteps, Ren succeeded in positioning himself behind the tree she was leaning on, absently reading a book. He bent over, prepared to play a trick on her as if he were ten years old again and... froze.

He swallowed once, he swallowed twice. He was a grown man, but he discovered at that moment, for the first time in his life, that he wanted an ice cream cone.

Not any ice cream cone: one of lemon.

Not any lemon ice cream cone: the one Kyoko so absentmindedly licked.

The pinkish tip of her tongue protruded over the candy, and Ren's eyes followed, hypnotized. From down… to up. From down… to up. From down… to up. Sometimes, greedily, she opened her mouth wider and almost half of the ice cream disappeared inside it, reappearing seconds later a little smaller. Then she would lick it again: from down… to up. From down… to up. From down… to up.

Methodically, she reviewed the gnawing, more effective in reducing the ice cream, with licks that prevented the underside of the candy from flowing from the cone to her fingers. Sometimes, when she was in a more interesting part of the book, her tongue hung a few seconds near the candy before she resumed licking.

Until she laid her mouth on the ice cream, lips parted and as if kissing it, paralyzed as if she were in an especially interesting passage, resuming the action to smile and suck the ice cream.

The unmistakable sucking sound was the last straw: Ren did not need more flammable material in the enviable stock of dirty thoughts he was having with Kyoko, especially since she had celebrated her eighteenth birthday.

No, not at all; better to leave that place immediately, quietly go to his hotel room, take the colder shower of his life, and run back to the set before Yashiro fetches him and finds him in that embarrassing state.

Decades later, an attractive, trim older Kuon Hizuri would reveal to a magazine his unusual fetish for lemon ice cream cone.

 **N / A - I know, I know: I should be working on my two unfinished fics, and I promise I will… as soon as I cleanse myself from chapter 258 XD**

 **In the meantime, I really need to write something short and fun and even perverted. Do you forgive me? T_T**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alert: AU, disturbing themes, OOC and coarse language.**

 **CHAPTER 2 - MOON BUTTERFLY**

When Ren was in his senior year of high school, his duties as a veteran and president of the student body increased dramatically as Sho and Kyoko entered High School.

He knew both of them from a distance, since the Fuwa Resort was located at the end of the street where he lived with his parents, but he had never exchanged a word with them. Still, he heard the slander, both in school and in the neighborhood: that Kyoko's mother was a tramp, who did not know who the father of her daughter was. That the Fuwa family was generous in adopting Kyoko when her own mother abandoned her. That Kyoko was also a tramp, who chased Sho like a bitch in heat. That he was too kind in allowing her to walk with him to and from school.

Ren used to dismiss the comments as absurd and change the subject, but now that the two were in high school, the buzz had become his responsibility in his last school year.

It was not long before he understood the dynamics between Kyoko and Sho: he was stupid and too lazy to have such good grades; she seemed too focused on classes to have such average grades. When Ren called her to confront her about what she was doing with her own life, for a second he thought her eyes would pop out of their sockets: do his chores. Do the homework for him. Write notes for him. Help him to study. Stay discreetly on the sidelines so that the entire spotlight falls on Sho.

"I do not care," was all she answered.

From that day on, Ren decided that he would redouble his care with Kyoko, which was perceived by everyone, especially Sho.

"She is my bitch," he heard him say one day in the men's locker room, to the delight of his equals. "An annoying bitch, but she does an amazing blowjob"

Thanks to the president's complaint, Sho won a three-day suspension. Kyoko gained a cut on the cheek that she did not bother to disguise or lie about.

"I do not care," was all she responded to the number one student in high school. However, for the first time, she smiled at Ren.

Like fire in the haystack, the insinuations that Kyoko was now Ren's bitch took over the whole school. Not content to hang on Sho, a rising star at school, she now ran after the most prestigious student.

Ren felt bad for having contributed to Kyoko's total ostracism and apologized to her. "I do not care," she replied for the third time, with a broader smile.

Ren graduated and went to college, but Kyoko would still spend two more years at school. They exchanged messages and phone calls, and he knew she was lying when she said that everything was fine, but helping her more effectively was beyond his reach.

They continued in this routine even after Kyoko graduated and started working and eventually studying, until one day she had a problem with her boyfriend. Ren was totally taken aback: he did not know she was dating and did not expect her call in the middle of the night to ask if he could go get her.

###

Kyoko did not know much about her own mother beyond what people said. So much so that Sho's mother called Saena a slut, the people around began to question the same as Kyoko: figuratively or literally speaking? Over time, the information that she was the daughter of a prostitute was consolidated, although no one could claim the authorship of the information.

Kyoko did not care: her mother could be a war hero or a prostitute, that would not change the fact that she was abandoned and did not have a family to call her own.

At school, the girls walked away from her when they saw her speak familiarly to Sho. The situation only got worse when Sho started taking friends home and they discovered that the two lived together and were not related.

Her mother's fate fell on her, and Sho, being an immature and insecure boy, never defended her.

Kyoko felt sorry for Sho, always so worried about what people were thinking about him. It was as if he were the one tormented in school, not her. How many times had she felt her legs numb with the weight of his head as the young man complained of the pressure he felt from his parents, his teachers, and his colleagues? Or how tiring was keeping a perfect image all the time?

Sometimes Kyoko stroked his hair until he finally exhausted himself and slept. At other times, she would welcome him into her bed when he needed to prove to himself that he was a real man.

"You're wearing protection, are not you? I do not want a bastard in my family!" Was the educational advice that Kyoko once heard Sho's mother give the boy.

When they entered High School, the star of the college called her to talk in the student body. Kyoko knew those types: popular, good at studies and sports, teachers favorites etc. Like Sho, they cared only about appearances, nothing more. Maybe he even asked her to get down on her knees and open her mouth, like the president of her previous school.

Handsome guy, soft-spoken and insightful. He said a lot of things she did not expect to hear, but for each she had the same answer: "I do not care."

Kyoko also did not expect him to point himself her guardian, let alone that he would arrange for Sho to be punished for talking shit about her.

Of course, she knew what Sho was saying. The immature and insecure boy now added cowardice to his vast list of imperfections, and yet he was applauded wherever he went, for no matter who he was, but who he pretended to be.

Sho was furious that he had been punished, furious that Ren interfered and furious that he could not overcome him in any way, no matter how hard he tried. That night, he sought out Kyoko to drown his sorrows as usual, but found the door to her room locked. The next morning he heard her say that the door would not open again, which made him snap and slap her, cutting her cheek.

She was only allowed to go to school that day because someone needed to take notes for Sho, but on condition of hiding the bruise with makeup and a bandage and lying about the source of it, if someone asked, but everyone knew that only Ren would ask.

Halfway to school, she stopped at a grocery store, went to the bathroom, took off her bandage, and wiped her face. She wished she could say she did it to show Sho's fans the kind of person he was, but the truth was that she liked Ren's eyes when they shone with indignation.

Because of her.

When he remained protecting her, even though the rumors surrounding him were also damaging to him, Kyoko could not help but understand how he and Sho were different: Ren had more to lose than Sho had ever had, and yet he refused to leave her side as Sho had done at the first opportunity he had.

It was she who was staining his reputation, not the other way around, but he apologized to her for the bullying she was suffering; "I do not care," she replied almost laughing, because she really did not care.

When Ren graduated, her life got worse. Sho became the new president and made it clear that any help from him would be conditional on sexual favors, but Kyoko just ignored him and everyone else, what was easier to do since Ren kept supporting her from afar.

One day, she phoned the apartment he rented near the campus, and an unknown woman answered and said he was taking a shower. It was when Kyoko realized that the feelings she had for him had changed and that they could pose problems, since he would never see her as more than a troubled girl he needed to help.

At the age of eighteen, Kyoko graduated and began to work. With her first salary, she rented a tiny apartment, but it was hers, and she could leave the semi-slavery life the Fuwa family provided.

In the first few months after moving to the new apartment, Ren visited her almost every week, and with each visit, he gave her what he called "a courtesy to my hostess." However, a new refrigerator is not a damn courtesy: it's a blatant way to furnish the tiny but empty apartment of the troubled girl he needed to help.

"You know I know you're furnishing my apartment, do not you?"

"Oh? Where's your traditional 'I do not care' when I need it? "

He knew how to be annoying when he wanted to.

By now, Kyoko already knew that there was no point in arguing with his sense of duty and just opened the door so he could come with the sofa, the stove, the television and even a lamp. There must be some manual that contains the rule that when a man gives you a damn lamp, he deserves the key of your apartment, because that's how Kyoko felt. To the point that she made a copy the next day and hand it to him, who just put it on his own key chain as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Work at the convenience store was easy enough, so Kyoko decided to attend community college at night. Ren supported her, despite initially arguing that she could enter any university if she put her heart on it, but Kyoko was fed up with the turbulence inherent in a competitive life and was more comfortable among the people who traditionally sought out community universities, so he let the subject die and began to worry about her safety on her way home.

Kyoko thought she could not fall in love with him any more. It was not fair.

Every day Ren would pick her up in college and take her home, which was wonderful every day, except on Fridays, when her girlfriend was with him.

"Who is she, really?" Kyoko heard her finally ask.

It was the first time Kyoko realized that worse than being called a bitch by Sho was to be called sister by Ren.

That fall of her nineteen was the last time Kyoko took a ride with Ren: the next morning she negotiated with her boss to work part-time and changed college for the morning classes. At night, to supplement the income, she began to sew.

Ren noticed the change, but he thought it was for the better, since she would be safer staying at home at night.

At the age of twenty, Kyoko began dating "boyfriend number one", tall as Ren. Then came "boyfriend number two", strong as Ren. Then "boyfriend number three," whit the same haircut. Then "boyfriend number four," who had a similar voice.

It was "boyfriend number four" who left her alone at a roadside bar: they had arranged a car trip, but in the middle of the way, she needed to use the bathroom. When she returned to the car, he was not there but in the bar, boozing up. When she refused to go anywhere with a drunk driver, he yelled at her and left her alone with some creepy guys.

Not that she still wanted the relationship, but being left alone in that situation was also not in her plans.

With no alternatives, she called Ren, not only the one person she knew would come for her, but also the emotional support she needed at the moment.

And he showed up with the girlfriend of the month.

At twenty-two, Kyoko met the perfect guy. So perfect, that she even fought with Ren for the first time because of him.

"What. The. Fuck. Is. That?"

"What? My tattoo?"

"Holy shit, Kyoko!"

"What?"

"That's permanent!"

"Well... yes... Grandpa!"

"Do not play smart with me! How long have you had it?"

"About two, three months ..."

"And just show me now?"

"Well, in my defense, I did not show: you saw by chance, because I bowed and my shirt went up"

"Fuck! It was because of him, was not it? "

"Him? Are you talking about Taira? "

"Of course it's about Taira!"

"Taira, my boyfriend?"

"Of course yes! The tattoo artist! He did it, did not he? "

"Well, if I have a tattoo artist as boyfriend and I want a tattoo, I'll do it with him, right?"

"Fuck!"

"... If I took 'fuck' out of your vocabulary, I could mute you"

"Holy shit, this thing is permanent!"

"A person can erase it with surgery, but I like it"

"That son of a bitch!"

"Ren, what's your problem?"

"I'm shocked, that is my problem! I did not think you were going to let someone do something like that with your body! "

"A moon moth on the underside of my back is far from the most shocking thing Taira has ever done to my body!"

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh... I did not need to hear that!"

"What, thinking of Taira fucking me brings you an unpleasant mental image?"

"Enough"

"On the sofa bed you bought ..."

"Enough!"

"On the rug you bought ..."

"Stop!"

"On top of the damn stove!"

"Stop it, Kyoko!"

"Do you know how many times he profaned your 'little sister' against this same refrigerator?"

"Fucking hell, will not you shut up?"

"No, I won't! I won't shut up until you understand that I am much more the bitch I was accused to be in school than the defenseless little sister you present to your girlfriends! I will not stop talking until you have nightmares every night with Taira using my hands, my mouth and my ass in every square inch of this damn apartment!"

They stared at each other for seconds that seemed like eternities, shocked and breathless. Until, without a word, Ren just turned and left.

Months passed without any communication from both parties, Ren trying to recover and Kyoko trying to fall in love with someone who could effectively reciprocate her feelings, until Ren finally overcame the stupor and went looking for her.

He checked himself for a second before he used her apartment's key, choosing to knock and wait for her to open the door. He met her with a troubled expression and puffy eyes, evidently surprised to see him there.

Something was wrong in her posture, Ren could feel it. She tried to dismiss him, claimed to be sick, thanked the visit and the concern, but that was not a good time.

Bullshit. He forced his entrance and discovered her hiding a tennis-ball-sized black eye.

"Fuck!"

Kyoko laughed, despite the bizarre.

"You love this word, do not you?"

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch!"

And he would. Ren was willing to turn the city upside down, if necessary, but he would turn the guy into his personal punch bag even if it was his last act on Earth.

"Ren, no! It was not his fault, it was mine! "

"Your fault? _Your fault_? How does a woman deserve a punch from her boyfriend, Kyoko?"

"Ren, you... you do not understand!"

"In this you're right, I do not understand! I do not understand how you accepted Sho's shit, I do not understand how you accepted the shit of the whole school, I do not understand how you're trying to accept this guy's shit, but **I** do not have to understand, much less accept it!"

As they argued, somebody knocked on the door. Judging from Kyoko's panic, there could only be Taira.

Ren rushed to the door willing to kill, but Kyoko managed to sneak in front of him. Taira, seeing the door opening, started to speak.

"Kyoko, I ..."

"You fucking son of a bitch, I'm going to kill you!"

"Ren, no! Enough! I said it was my fault! "

Ren was outraged: Kyoko again with that story of being the culprit. Why did she want to protect the bastard that attacked her?

"You... are you Ren?"

Kyoko could not penetrate the haze of fury that enveloped him at that moment with her pleas, but Taira's tormented voice was surprising enough to make him regain consciousness.

"Yes I am, so what?"

"Ren, that's enough! Taira, go home! "

"She told you to go, kid!"

"She is my girlfriend"

"Do you want to die? Do you think I'll let you get within two hundred yards of her, after what you did? "

"Ren, stop it!"

"You have no opinion here, my relationship is with Kyoko"

"Oh, so you want to hear from her? Very well then! Kyoko, tell him"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... Go home, Taira. I'm breaking up with you"

While Ren made some more threats to Taira, who was leaving bitterly down the hall, Kyoko returned to the interior of the apartment to cry for the umpteenth time that day.

Ren closed the apartment door and tried to cheer her up, saying that a violent guy did not deserve her tears, but Kyoko seemed inconsolable and just repeated "it was my fault" until Ren finally lost his temper and pressed her to explain.

Tired, Kyoko relented.

"He discovered that he was only a substitute"

"...Substitute?"

"He loved me. He said he loved me"

"Lie!"

"He said he wanted to marry me..."

"Over my dead body!"

"But I was not honest with him. I said that I loved him, knowing it was a lie"

"… This does not give him the right to hit you!"

"You do not understand..."

"Fuck, Kyoko! Again, this? "

"I CALLED HIM REN!"

Kyoko exploded, and Ren could not tell what was happening or process the information she had given.

"I called him Ren... do you understand?"

"... Ren?"

"Yes"

"Well, so what? You mistook his name, and that's why he beat you?"

"Bloody hell, Ren! You were smarter at school!"

"I do not see where the problem is! You should have been thinking about me and changed the names, that's all! "

"Exactly!"

"See? Such nonsense! "

"Nonsense? Ren, you still do not understand-"

"I did not understand what, dammit?"

"I CAME WITH HIM CALLING YOUR NAME!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"I... I called your name... I was thinking of you... Every time, I... I thought of you. Even when I was just talking to the guys, I was looking for you in each of them. Taira was the most similar, height, physical size, hair, eyes... I even gave him the same colony you use..."

"..."

"I'm despicable, I know"

"..."

"Go away, Ren"

Kyoko felt terrible. Ren's expression was one of horror. She had done it, really had managed to become all that she spent her life being accused of being.

At least now, the offenses would fit.

She went to the bathroom, where she took the most depressing bath of her life. She allowed herself to mourn the loss of Ren, since the pain she had provoked in Taira - and she knew, no black eye is sorer than the pain of betrayal - she wept the night before.

As she left the bathroom still wrapped in a towel, she surprised herself with Ren still standing in the middle of the apartment, only this time with a calm expression.

"Is there any corner of this apartment where you have not fucked with Taira?"

"...Ren?"

"Is there?"

"... Hm, it's a tiny apartment ..."

"Get dressed quickly, we're on the move"

"We are? To where?"

"To my apartment"

"To your apartment?"

"Yes" And here, he greeted her with a fierce smile. "More rooms and a lot of unnecessary stuff, but with perfect surfaces for me to fuck you in each one of them"

 **N / A - It was not a cute chapter, but I'm not feeling cute today XD**

 **Just saying, no, the characters' words and actions do not represent my opinions. It was a very difficult exercise, even, to write such a disturbing one shot, with characters so damaged, and it would not be so if I gave in to my constant desire to sweeten everything. As I said, an exercise.**

 **(I'm feeling I'm too good with Ren… maybe it's time to grill him a little on the next chapter XD)**


	3. Chapter 3

First of all, I need to clarify that the initial idea of this fic does not belong to me, but Girl (Guest), who commented on my other fic (CH 259 - RPG).

Dear Girl, your hypothesis had not crossed my mind and made me so terrified that I could not think of anything else for a long time. I simply had to write about it, otherwise I would have one more unproductive day. Sorry for not asking your permission before, but as you commented as Guest and I did not find a login of yours, I could not request previously, but all the credits about the circumstances of the discovery are yours!

Without further ado...

 **CHAPTER 3 – SHIPWRECK**

Lory did not expect to receive Yashiro in his office an hour before the requested, and alone. Perhaps the bombastic news they needed to deal with that morning had knocked the man out of the bed, but when he started talking, Lory could not be more surprised.

"Sir, I'm resigning as Tsuruga-san's agent and requesting the position of permanent agent of Kyoko-chan"

'Tsuruga-san'? Since when was Ren 'Tsuruga-san' to Yashiro?

 **Last night...**

Yashiro was furious as never before. He wanted to see the two snakes in jail, preferably for the rest of their lives, as he helped Kyoko into one of the empty dressing rooms. Whatever they did to her, it gradually lost its effect, but fast enough to make detection unfeasible by laboratory tests.

It was a police case! He wanted to sign a complaint, aid in investigations, transform the life of Morizumi Kimiko and her agent into a living hell, but apparently, everything would be settled in a secret war between the Koenji Group and the Morizumi Family.

The fact that he had already left countless calls and messages on Ren's cell phone, without any return, also disturbed him. Yashiro knew the habits of his client, at that time Ren would not be sleeping even if he wanted, accustomed as he was to sleeping late and for a few hours.

Well, since the 'solution' would not come up to the 'problem', he would take the 'problem' to the 'solution'.

He took Kyoko to Ren's apartment.

To a Ren who answered the door with the confused expression of someone who did not expect visitors, and shirtless.

To a Ren who stared terrified at Yashiro and Kyoko, while some actress stepped into their field of vision using only the shirt that Ren should be wearing and asking if he would be back in the room.

From the pandemonium that followed, Yashiro distinctly remembered only a few parts, as of the strangled sound that Kyoko made just before her knees gave way. Fortunately, he had time to let go of the mallet he always carried, containing papers that were only in the interest of the man before him, whom he no longer recognized and intended to no longer have any contact with, and hold Kyoko before she reached the floor.

Yashiro could not remember, for example, the woman's expression of triumph in the apartment, or the stuttering explanations Ren tried to give Kyoko, as if she could handle anything but her own pain at the moment. However, he remembered clearly how she wrapped her arms around his neck, digging her nails into his shoulders and drowning out howls of pure despair in his chest while violent sobs shook her.

It was obvious what Kyoko wanted to hide.

He did not remember responding to Ren's plea with the fiercest look he had ever given anyone, or sending him to hell before leaving with Kyoko in his arms, leaving the ex-client/friend petrified, but he remembered thinking that Kyoko's reaction could only mean that she loved Ren.

And he had broken her heart as cowardly as possible.

 **Present moment...**

Yashiro finished reporting to Lory all the events of the previous day. The president was livid, because until then he imagined that the biggest problem they would have to deal with would be the photo of Ren and the actress kissing in all the gossip magazines of Japan.

The situation was much worse than he initially guessed. Irreversible, even!

"Yukihito-kun, I understand that Ren's behavior was disappointing, but your decision to end your contract abruptly-"

"Not abruptly, sir."

"...It is not?"

"No. There is a conflict of interest"

"Oh? What kind?"

"Kyoko"

Lory's eyes widened.

"Yukihito-kun, do not tell me you ..."

 **Days later**

The prospect of starting Lotus filming was a bless in Kyoko's life. Did she need to stage a bitter woman? Well, she had vast experience in the subject. Jealousy? Piece of cake. Despair? Pretty much her middle name.

Yashiro was always by her side, to the point that she missed him when she went to the bathroom.

Dealing with the gossip about the kiss between Ren and the older actress demanded her maximum concentration. As much as Yashiro wanted to give her a few days off, Kyoko did not see how she could get better if she had time to think.

Think about Ren and Kimiko. Think about Ren and a high school girl. Think about Ren and an actress older than him.

No, thinking was dangerous. Thinking, she thought of herself in derogatory terms.

She soon began to demonstrate how much loss of sleep and appetite was affecting her in deep dark circles under her eyes and shocking weight loss, and however much her acting when telling Yashiro that she was well was flawless, she did not convince him: he quickly scheduled a series of medical appointments that confirmed the obvious.

Kyoko was in depression.

In the morning, she would take medicine to wake up. At night, she would take medicine to sleep. During the day, she would play the role of a young woman who did not mind at all that the scandal involving the kiss was solved by the respective agencies with the official disclosure of a relationship.

Kyoko did not know the announcement was forged, just to preserve the reputation of the actors, and that an acceptable deadline had already been agreed to publicize the friendly end of the relationship.

Kyoko did not know that Ren had sought her insistently, since neither the Darumaya couple nor Yashiro allowed him to approach her. Her personal cell number was changed and only the professional, now with Yashiro, was disclosed.

When filming began weeks later, it all got less difficult. Kyoko was practically living on the premises of the recording studios complex, which would allow Ren's entry thanks to his popularity, but Yashiro did not allow the actor's access to his client.

In Ren's last attempt, Yashiro listed, one by one, the names of the remedies that Kyoko was taking only to function at a minimally normal level. Did he intend to finish what he started? Did he intend to finish destroying her, looking for her when he was supposedly dating another woman?

 **Months later**

When Lotus was aired, it was clear to both Yashiro and Kyoko why Kimiko went as far as to try to kill competitors for a role: the Cedric guy she wanted to please so much was looking for a Japanese actress to star in an international production in which he was ahead of, and whose artistic attributes were quite similar to those needed at Lotus. Belonging to a family linked to the showbiz, Kimiko had insider information that Cedric's next film would be a blockbuster the following year, certainly a gigantic gateway to the international market for the chosen actress.

When he saw Kyoko's raw and ferocious performance, Cedric had no doubts. When he met her in person and saw in her the exact definition of a sweet Japanese girl, he was delighted.

It was likely that Kimiko had lost nights of sleep in sheer fury as, in one blow and for the same person, she lost the role of Momiji, the coveted international premiere, and the heart of Cedric, a filthy rich international producer. Not that Kyoko had opened her heart to him, because at that point, she only trusted Yashiro, but the rumors about Cedric's obvious rapture ran the world and made Kyoko even more interesting.

Yashiro took charge of all the negociations. He was surprised to talk to Lory and find out that LME's president did not intend to let Kyoko debut until she graduated from Love Me Section, which infuriated the agent to the point where he combined with Mogami Saena Kyoko's immediate dismissal from the agency.

"Do you want to ruin Kyoko for something that's not even her fault, to begin with?" Was the last sentence Lory heard from Ren's former agent.

Yashiro would not allow Kyoko's broken heart to turn into yet another Lory project. He resigned the same day Kyoko's profile was removed from the LME website. They were alone, but they did not care: with the curriculum and professionalism they had, they did not need the support of a big agency to succeed.

 **Three years later**

Yuki entered the room and found Kyoko sleeping soundly. She intended to use her rare day off resting, and he woke up earlier especially to let her rest as he completed all the boring bureaucratic magic that fattened their bank account.

When his day's work was completed, nothing prevented him from going back to bed. Especially since Kyoko was a delightful sight wearing his old T-shirt and boyshorts, the sheets tangled at her foot as if she had kicked them.

Yuki settled behind her, hugging her and smiling as she instinctively curled up against him. He took a deep breath, feeling the delicious scent of the shampoo he bought for her.

He couldn't help getting hard. Ever since they'd showered together for the first time and he'd seen her unusual habit of washing her pubic hair with shampoo, he was excited every time even a mention of shampoo was made.

Before he knew it, he was already touching her breasts, kissing the back of her neck and brushing his erection against her. And the initial idea was to let her sleep...

"Hm... Yuki, what…?" She asked sleepily as she felt his hand touch her intimately.

He whispered hoarsely as he stroked her clit. "Shhhh... Let me take care of everything".

Yukihito was simply the right kind of agent.

In a few seconds, she was already burning and digging her nails into her pillow and his arm, as she soon would need something to cling to so she would not drift.

He drove her crazy until she begged him to take her, but he did not want to end so fast. Standing over her, he removed his glasses and placed them comically on Kyoko's face, half crooked, so that the lenses did not fog up and she was not bothered by the degree.

Yukihito was simply the right kind of nerd.

"Hold this for me for a while, okay?", was what he said with a smile before releasing her from her panties and disappearing between her legs, making her gasp when she felt the assault of the experienced tongue.

The smell of her, a combination of jasmine, bergamot and Kyoko's excitement was all he needed, as he set about guiding her to the very limit he was in already. When he finally penetrated her, the two floated together in the world of fullest satisfaction.

When they caught their breath a few minutes later, they found themselves sweaty and hugging. Seeing her still wearing his glasses, he wanted to take her again, but Kyoko needed to rest and it was his job to take care of her needs first.

Yukihito was simply the right kind of husband.

 **A/N - This was the only satisfactory way I found to conclude the possibility raised by Girl (that Kyoko would meet Ren with the actress in his apartment).**

 **Sweet Mercy, Sensei cannot be so cruel T_T**

 **I'm clinging to the hope that the last page of Chapter 258 is just to convince Ren that a stolen kiss can happen to anyone. It would be brilliant (and therefore possible) that Sensei put Ren in this situation so readers, overwhelmingly women, would empathize with Ren when he saw the photo of the kiss between Sho and Kyoko.**

 **I mean, I remember people laughing and joking about it on social networks, like "Ren's going to be pissed off!" and "Kyoko's in trouble," but nothing like now, where the indignation took over. Perhaps for the readers to identify with Kyoko, the shock of now was provocative, so that we rethink how it must have been for him to see Kyoko be kissed twice.**

 **Considering, of course, our habit of treating the two characters as if they were real people XD**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 259:

As he foresaw, the woman followed him. They were alone in the hallway and without curious eyes on them.

How many years had they not seen or spoken? Five?

It seems she hasn't aged a single day and that the video he sent her was not enough, judging by her longing eyes.

Kijima probably misunderstood everything. Kijima and his prodigious imagination, at that moment should be thinking they were kissing... or worse!

She apologizes for coming to Japan without warning, but she was afraid he'd hide and she'd miss the chance to see him in person.

Far from reproving her, a little maternal love was appreciated at that moment.

(In her house, Nakamura-sensei laughs at the anguished readers who spent a whole month believing in the kiss scene. Happy late April Fool's Day, everyone!)

A/N - This short chapter is a mix of various hypotheses I'm receiving XD

I don't think it's true, though, because Julie HIzuri is too much a celeb to Kijima forget about Kuu.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5 - TEN YEARS LATER (PART 1)**

He was a complete idiot, for sure. No one would need to tell him that, to Kuon admit it to himself - not that Lory and Yashiro had not been perfectly eloquent about it.

First Rick, then Kyoko. Kuon wondered if it was his fate to lose his most important persons to his own stupidity. Rick was dead, there was nothing to be done about it, but Kyoko, though alive, seemed just as far away, no matter how much his parents continued to subtly push him toward her. Subtly, as much as Kuu and Julie could be subtle.

The beginning of the downhill was a big misunderstanding, in fact, and so he never forgave himself. Like all misunderstandings, it would suffice for him to ask her a few questions and everything would be clear, especially considering how badly Kyoko lied, but no: he slipped into a dark place, pushed her away, and only deepened the misunderstanding between them.

The result? Ten years of estrangement and parallel lives.

###

Kyoko thought he was in love with Kimiko, so she forbade Yashiro from revealing the entire episode of the audition to the role of Momiji. She did not want him to be disappointed, that was what her head was claiming, but her sincere heart screamed that she could not bear it if he stood up for Kimiko.

Better not to take chances.

She walked away from him, perhaps even slightly disappointed that he had failed to see through the bad performance of Kimiko's good girl, at the worst possible time: Ren was convinced that he had lost her to Sho, and in the fear of hearing confirmation from Kyoko, he chose to distance himself and observe what she would do next.

Kyoko understood Ren's detachment as the natural posture of those who never wanted to be near her in the first place, which killed her inside and made her withdraw even more. Ren understood Kyoko's detachment as the natural behavior of those who never wanted to be near him in the first place, which killed him inside and made him withdraw even more.

Two annoying idiots.

She dealt with the recording of Lotus; he dealt with the debut of Tragic Marker and the commotion that followed. If Tsuruga Ren was famous before playing a serial killer, now his name - artistic or not - circulated internationally.

By the time they realized it, months had gone by without any contact and their schedules remained so packed that neither of them found a way to get closer. Several times, they were very close to telephoning or sending a message, but gave up for the same reason: he must be with Kimiko / she must be with Sho.

Obviously, they eventually saw each other in studio aisles and awards, but each polite greeting was reciprocated with a polite greeting, and thus only convinced that they no longer had any kind of familiarity.

Finally, Ren revealed himself to the world as Kuon Hizuri.

He thought he could not miss Kyoko's professional cordiality until he was introduced to the cold cordiality. However, what did he expect? That she would discover his identity - and deduce that of Corn - with the rest of the world and make leaps of joy?

He had done a great deal of bullshit and knew it, but if he wanted to be honest, he would admit that he hurt her on purpose. Painful to confess, but two years of withdrawal and the constant expectation that one day he would know of the announcement of the relationship between her and Sho were enough for him to crave for any other reaction from her, anything that alluded to a feeling distinct of professional respect. Anyway, something to tell him that she thought of him as someone other than an honorable senpai.

It did not go unnoticed that he was acting like Sho: rather she hates me to forget me completely.

Months after the revelation of Kuon Hizuri, however, her expression for him began to soften, until finally returning to the professional warmth of the past. For a moment, he felt the flame of hope rekindle inside him, and then be completely extinguished: Kyoko was dating, it was the rumor.

When Kuon learned of the marriage, he thought he would die. If asked to describe the pain he felt, he would respond that he thought he was suffering from a stroke.

Kyoko had married, but not with Sho, but with Cedric.

And Sho? Why not Sho? Where was Sho in Kyoko's life? How could Cedric have appeared out of nowhere and stolen Kyoko?

 ** _Why did not I come out of nowhere and steal Kyoko?_**

A simple and intimate celebration, much more a mere formality than a great rite of passage. He should no longer call her Mogami-san, but Bennet-san, which stunned him and wounded him deeply.

She should be Hizuri-san, but she was not. Kuon had confused everything, and to make matters worse, in his cowardice to face the truth fearing the worst, he lost three years of his life suffering for nothing. He lost Kyoko for nothing.

Three more years passed, in which he watched as Kyoko surpassed all expectations of her. Yashiro was right in his prediction six years before: actresses mature earlier, and Kyoko showed the truth in such words not only on a personal level, but also - and especially - on the professional level, accumulating more rewards and nominations than any other actress at her age and career time.

Her name was already the first to appear on posters around the world, and for Kuon there was always the pain and the strangeness. **_Her last name is wrong._**

Until, one day, Kuon went to visit his parents with his bride and found Kyoko there, beaming, in the seventh month of pregnancy. The boy she expected would be a godson to Kuu and Julie, and they both confided to Kuon that they would only be happier if they were the grandparents, not the godparents.

Kuon wanted to be the father, but he wasn't. Seven years ago he should have asked a simple question but he didn't, and now he would need to endure a dinner having the woman he loves on the other side of the table, married and pregnant of another man, while the bride he hardly knew why he had asked in marriage annoyed Julie with hints about being chosen as the model for her new collection.

Kuon did not know if Kyoko was trying to prevent Julie from losing her temper with her future daughter-in-law or whether the pregnancy hormones were speaking louder, but the fact is that she surprised everyone with the sudden change of subject.

"Did I ever tell you about how crazy I was about Tsuruga Ren when I was a teenager?"

It was like turning off the volume of the world. Kuon could swear that everyone could hear his heartbeat rampaging as his parents grinned and his fiancée looked from one to the other without understanding the situation.

"Reeeeeeeally? Did you have a crush on Ren?"

For a second, Kuon could swear that Julie's tongue was forked.

"A crush?" Kyoko gave a mischievous giggle that left Kuon's stomach in knots. "I was **madly in love** with Tsuruga Ren!"

It was absolutely painful to see her reporting, casually, how she had fallen madly in love with the valiant senpai during the filming of Dark Moon, how shameful it was to admit that she was another victim of the "co-star killer," and that if it were not for Cedric, she probably would not get over her broken heart and the subsequent loss of Ren.

She spoke naturally about what she considered her first true love, until she finally thanked Ren for giving her the opportunity to discover what it was to love someone.

What tormented him most at that moment: to find out that it was with him that the seventeen-year-old Kyoko was in love? To find out they fell in love with each other pretty much around the same time? To find out that he drove her away because of a misunderstanding? To understand that she would not talk about it so naturally and frankly if the feeling of before had not been completely overcome, belonging only to the past?

Nevertheless, how to fight for her now, seven years later? How to interfere with her marriage, especially when she was about to form the family she always deserved to have?

Kuu, realizing how shaken Kuon was, asked his son for help in the cellar to pick a bottle of wine together, removing him from the place so he could have privacy to recover.

On the same day, Kuon ended the engagement.

Two years later, he watched as little Ryuu was a carbon copy of Kyoko, playing around the gardens of the Hizuri mansion.

"They're not well, you know that?"

Kuon could count on Julie to continue cheering for him and Kyoko. His mother simply would not accept another woman as a daughter-in-law, that's what he heard her say, but he knew deep down she just wanted his happiness.

The real happiness, not the illusion he showed the world with the countless girlfriends he has accumulated in recent years.

"He's suffocating her artistically. He does not allow her to work on productions in which he is not involved. She does not notice, but he is jealous because her name has become bigger than his"

"Mom, do not meddle in their lives"

"Why, what boldness! I'm not meddling, she confessed to me because we're friends!"

"And as a friend you must support her, not fan the flames"

"I'm not fanning the flames! I... I just said that your courtship is going badly! "

"Mom!"

"What? She cares about you! "

"...She does?"

"Of course yes! You're already thirty and no prospect of a good girl..."

"I'm dating a good girl"

"...like Kyoko in your future"

"Mother, there are no good girls like Kyoko. Kyoko is Kyoko. But there are women good enough"

"But I do not want a 'good enough' daughter-in-law! I want a 'Kyoko daughter-in-law'!"

Kuon stopped arguing with his mother at that moment. He was tired and she was right. At least that was what his heart told him.

Six months later, the divorce. Kuon felt awful to be happy with the end of the relationship. Ryuu would grow into two homes and not even the misfortune of a child was enough to placate the shameful excitement he felt.

It was shameful, however, and depressing enough to leave him motionless. He relinquished his work proposals and chose to spend some time traveling incognito, rearranging both thoughts and feelings. Lucky for him to be able to count on Kuu and Julie, who warned Kyoko about something wrong with Kuon, which triggered all the outburst of worry and generosity so typical of her.

In fact, his parents were far better lovemons than Lory, Kuon had to admit. They both knew that the only person who could get Kuon out of the hole he hid in was Kyoko, and she needed no more than a few seconds' call, demanding that he visit her the following week for tea and casual chat between "good childhood friends" so that he would return to the United States as she had asked.

As soon as the 27-year-old Kyoko opened the door of her new apartment, the 31-year-old Kuon noticed that Ryuu was not in home. It was normal for the boy to run to him and demand to be thrown up in greeting, which always left his mother mortified with shame and Kuon as exultant as he was ashamed, for he secretly wished Ryuu to like him more than his own father.

The whole situation surrounding Kyoko's marriage had shown Kuon exactly how petty he could be.

Kyoko, on the other hand, was shocked by Kuon's appearance.

"What... the hell happened to your face?"

"Oh, this?" He asked defensively as he smoothed his beard. "You do not like?"

"Looks like you spent years living in an alley!"

 _Ten years, to be exact_ , that's what he thought. "Why, I have thousands of followers who are already saying that I look great with beard!"

Kyoko laughed and Kuon thought how much he wanted to hear that sound all the time.

"Your fans are crazy about you, they would probably say anything to please you"

"And you?"

The question was purposefully ambiguous to verify what she would respond, but Kyoko did not fall into the trap.

"Lucky for you I can help you with that. Wait for me on the porch, I'll come to you"

"You... will you shave my beard?"

"Of course I'm going to shave your beard! I cannot look at you and imagine that I am in front of your grandfather, can I?"

Okay, as much as Kuon liked his beard, between keeping it and going through the experience of having Kyoko shave him, he had no doubt of what he preferred and went obediently to the porch, where he lay on a lounger that would probably do the times of barbershop chair.

She went back and forth several times bringing a true paraphernalia that he did not want to think about how or why she had, but judging from Cedric's always shaved face, it was easy to deduce that he had taught her.

Kuon tried not to think about what else her ex-husband had taught her to do.

"It would probably be best if you took your shirt off. As much as I will put a dry towel over your shoulders, I cannot guarantee your shirt will not get wet"

He was obedient once more and removed his shirt, trying not to be disappointed by the fact that she did not give him a second look nor blushed.

As promised, she placed a dry towel on his shoulders, and another wrapped around the back of his neck, until she finally placed a third towel, this time damp and warm, on his face.

"You can sleep if you want. By the way, you should, judging by your exhausted appearance"

Yes, he should. He'd even like it. Not that all that improvised treatment was not surprisingly pleasurable and relaxing, but the second she sat next to him, lifting his arm and pulling it over her legs to accommodate herself better, leaving them in a position that made him seem as if he were hugging her at the hip, every fiber of his body wanted everything but sleep. Especially from the waist down.

He heard sporadic sounds he struggled to identify, not because he was afraid of what she was doing but because he wanted to focus on anything but the fact that he was begging all known deities so she would not look down. No way he wouldn't have an obvious erection.

 _The sound of a cart being dragged... she must be using the portable bar as a side table. A scratchy sound... she must be mixing the foam. This sound is new... she must be sharpening the razor._

Finished her preparations, she massaged his face with the towel and he thought he would suffocate with the overload of feelings, a chaotic mixture of excitement, longing, fear, regret, anxiety and hope, the damn hope that kept telling him that maybe, maybe he still had a chance with her.

He did not know what expression he was showing her when the towel was removed, and she also gave no indication, as she just smiled softly, spread something on his face and began to say amenities, perhaps to distract him while deftly sliding the razor in his face.

She seemed so focused on what she was doing, that he had the time and freedom to look at her closely. Her face was so close that he could tell she was wearing nothing but sunscreen. He could almost count the eyelashes that enveloped her beloved glittering eyes.

From that distance, he could see for the first time that she did something with her teeth or her tongue or with her teeth and tongue when she concentrated a lot on a task, judging by the movements of her jaws and cheeks.

 _So fucking lovely._

She turned his head to the other side and for a second he feared he'd been caught staring at her, until he realized that she was only accessing other parts of his face that had not yet been shaved.

He's never been so close to noticing those little details. He could have spent the last ten years finding out all about her, but he did not, and for what? In return for not being rejected? In exchange for not hearing her confirm a relationship with Sho?

 _"A crush? I was madly in love with Tsuruga Ren!"_

"Forgive me"

As if she had not heard him, she turned his head to the normal position, passed a towel over his face, examined it closely, and smiled in satisfaction. Better tucking the towel under the back of his neck, she pushed Kuon's chin up and spread something around his neck. Now came the tricky part.

"I was an idiot"

"...Yes, you were"

"Forgive me"

"Kuon, no matter how 'idiot' your middle name is, right now I need you to keep quiet!"

"Forgive me"

"Terrible timing"

"I should have been honest"

"Yes, you should"

"I should have told you the whole truth ten years ago"

"And you want to tell me now, that I'm sliding a ridiculously sharp razor on your neck?"

"... Maybe that's why now is the best time"

"..."

"I should have told you about Rick"

"I already know about Rick"

"... but you didn't know by me, and that was wrong"

"..."

"I should have told you about Corn"

"You bet you should have told me about Corn!"

"...And ...I should have told about my feelings for you"

"Tsk... ah ...dammit! Don't move, I cut you. Damn it! Damn it!"

Kuon risked disobeying her now, moving his head to look at her, seeing her frantically applying an ointment to a cotton swab. The way she seemed to have thought of everything was disconcerting.

Maybe she repositioned his head with more force than necessary, but he did not care.

"Kyoko, I-"

"Not now"

His heart broke. She was refusing to listen to what he needed to say. Well, he could not blame her, he was ten years late after all.

Ten years was not ten seconds.

Ten years was not ten seconds, but ten seconds was the time it took him to realize that, when the bandage was finished, the razor slid over his Adam's apple, so there was another plausible reason why she had told him to shut up. A misunderstanding had already separated them once; once is more than enough.

Kuon just watched her, not letting himself be discouraged. Then came the towel. New inspection. New satisfied smile. Some fluid she passed in her hands and carefully spread on his face and neck.

She would not be massaging his skin that way if she were to reject him, would she?

He decided to try his luck: the arm that until then had been no more than dead weight on her legs moved and his hand went firm and flat on her hip. He could feel the side of her panties under the vaporous fabric of the summer dress she wore. By now, she must have been flushed, scandalized, accusing him of being a playboy and running as fast as she could in the other direction while she swore never to talk to him again.

However, she was not the seventeen-year-old Kyoko. She was a successful twenty-seven-year-old actress and model, with a prominent international career, a solid fan base, a legion of friends and family that included his parents. She was a wonderful mother, with no time to waste on trifles.

In short, she moved on while he remained chained to the people they were ten years ago. He became Ren to flee from Kuon, and returned to be Kuon to flee from Ren. Exactly when would he stop running from situations he could not handle?

"I'm not Tsuruga Ren"

"No, you are not"

"I'm not Corn either"

"I know"

"To be honest, I do not know if **_I_** have any quality to make you love me as much as you loved Ren and Corn, and God knows I do not deserve you. Even the fact that I cannot stay away from you, despite knowing that you would be better with any other man, says exactly how despicable I am, and- "

"Kuon"

"...Hm?"

"Just shut up and kiss me"

 **N / A - I dedicate this chapter to all women who, like me, have already had to say "just shut up and kiss me" XD (I may or may not have used my personal experience to write this chapter! XD).**

 **I also dedicate it to all the readers of Skip Beat who, like me, have already shouted a few times "fucking hell, Ren, become a man and kiss Kyoko!" as they read the manga XD**

 **Last but not least, I dedicate to Erza Tsuruga, whom I deeply hurt with Chapter 3: Darling, I imagine you were looking forward to a continuation of Chapter 2, but when I wrote it I did not think of doing a sequel, then it is likely that I will never write it (since the chapter itself cost me so much). However, for this chapter I must do a continuation, which is a mere excuse of mine to write smut, since the story itself is complete XD**


	6. Chapter 6

**Warning 1: Someone there asked me for smut? XD**

 **Warning 2: For those who do not know yet, I write in Portuguese and then an app converts to English.**

 **Warning 3: SMUUUUUUUUUTTTTT!**

 **CHAPTER 6 - TEN YEARS LATER (PART 2)**

She was ready to feel his mouth desperately over hers. She was waiting for a hungry, hurried kiss and even a little sloppy in its urgency. That was what his eyes told her to anticipate, after all.

 _With Kuon, expect the unexpected_ , was the conclusion she came to.

He filled the space that separated them with a torturous sluggishness, and when their lips finally touched, he stroked hers with his, her nose with his, their breaths mingling in a confusion of aftershave and toothpaste.

She was confused, and he was loving it.

Each time her lips parted and tried to deepen the kiss, he backed down and kissed her face. His hands were too high and too still for her taste, one behind her head and the other at her neck.

She did not perceive the small sounds she made, almost inaudible and choked up pleasures of a throbbing desire that mercilessly accumulated inside her, but Kuon cataloged each of them as little treasures. Like droplets of water returning life to dry land.

The setting sun only highlighted the reddish hidden tones in his green eyes, a perfect demonstration of the flames that consumed him but over which he wanted to have perfect control.

He waited ten years for that moment. He would enjoy every second. Quietly. Carefully. Deliberately.

Unable to wait another second, her hands dropped from his shoulders to his chest, feeling, squeezing, scratching, urging him to return her caresses with equal intensity, but he only let her touch his bare chest as he traced the outline of her chin with his lips, finally reaching her ear.

He nibbled at her lobe, sucked it, allowed his own breath to undone her. He left a trail of fire on her neck and some hickeys beginning to appear, to his own delight more than Kyoko's.

Not that she was not maddened with desire, if her grunt of protest when he stopped her wandering hand from touching him over his pants was any indication.

At least now she managed to catch his lips in a fierce kiss.

Kuon indulged her and followed her for a few seconds. He let her tongue feel his, let her teeth feel his lips and let her mouth devour his as much as he devoured her mouth. He even allowed her to straddle him and leave some marks on his neck! However, when she began to rub at his erection, he stopped her, holding her by the hips, receiving in return a new grunt of protest.

"Do you think I do not know what you want, Kyoko?"

"Ah..."

He whispered sexily in her ear, making her shiver from head to toe.

"You think I do not feel how hot-"

"Ah..."

"-and wet you are, even through our clothes?"

"Kuon..."

"You think I cannot feel your hardened nipples on my chest?"

"Quickly..."

"Do you think it would not be easy to set my cock free, pull your soaking panties aside…"

"Ah!"

"… and sink into you?"

"Please!"

"No, Kyoko. I'll take my time with you... "

"Ah..."

"I'm going to enjoy every inch of your body"

"Hm"

"Until you cannot feel anything but me..."

"Ah..."

"... think of nothing but me"

"Hm"

"And when I'm done with you, you're going to beg me to start all over again"

"Kuon!"

He jerked her up with impetuosity. All Kyoko could do was hug him with her legs, hold onto his shoulders and let him carry her into the room with long strides. He carefully laid her down on the bed, where he finally ran his hands and mouth over her body.

Feeling him suck and nibble a nipple over the fabric was fine, but when he finally undressed her, removing her dress over her head and releasing her bra, Kyoko's excitement seemed to double.

"Damn, Kyoko. Look at you..."

Kneeling between her legs, Kuon's face was hungry as he devoured her image, only in panties and her long black hair scattered on the bed. With one hand flattened over her abdomen, it slowly climbed up, feeling every gasp she let go, until it finally touched her breasts, nipples, and areolas.

"They are so lovely... So fucking beautiful…"

Feeling, kneading, pinching gently, watching her moan and squirm, finally taking them in his mouth, first one nipple, then the other, until he was surprised to hear her moan louder and feel her stiffen for a second before shuddering.

When the disorientation subsided enough and she began to catch her breath, she found a smiling Kuon watching her closely.

"Oh... your breasts are pretty sensitive, aren't they? It's the first time I see a woman cum just stimulating them"

She blushed and he smiled even more.

"Great! Now that you are satiated and less restless, I can taste you as I should"

It took her a few seconds to understand what he was saying. She realized the instant his hands had pulled her by the hips to the edge of the bed. First, he removed her panties, a small and fragile piece of clothing that in no way hid Kyoko's excitement; then, he got rid of the uncomfortable confinement of his jeans.

She felt her mouth dry and her heart pounded at the contour of his (still restricted by the boxer) arousal. However, Kyoko did not have time to enjoy the view for a long time, since he soon knelt on the ground and put each leg of her on one shoulder, leaving her wide open before him.

Kyoko has never felt so exposed in her life. Not even when she gave birth.

Her thighs contracted reflexively, trying to protect her most private part from the obvious and meticulous scrutiny, but his head was in the way and would not allow her legs to close. She was deeply flushed by now, but she felt a new wave of shame raging as she peered into his face.

His expression was one of deep concentration. His gaze was almost longing.

Without looking away or giving any indication of knowing he was being observed, with one hand Kuon held her hips firmly in place, and with the other he moved her lips slightly apart. He gently touched her nub, bringing his face closer and deeply inhaling Kyoko's scent.

Kyoko was mortified. Kuon seemed the happiest man on earth.

"You're so beautiful down here..."

His expression became feral as he watched her arousal build up enough for a drop of nectar to flow and slide down a buttock to the bedspread. Kyoko took a second to wonder how many times he dreamed about that moment, how often he fantasized about doing that with her to look so ecstatic until his mouth made contact with her sex and she could not think anymore.

He licked, lapped, nibbled, sucked eagerly. When his tongue paid attention to her clit, his fingers penetrated her; when his fingers caressed her clit, his tongue penetrated her. In seconds she was once again on the edge, her back arched almost painfully, her inner walls compressing Kuon's fingers.

She moaned his name almost desperately, her hips moving frantically against his face for the release of that sweet agony, and he found a willingness to smile despite his own painful arousal.

"Kuon! Oh my God... Kuon! "

"Cum, Kyoko. Cum for me"

And she dutifully came, a long, intense, bewildering orgasm that shook her and slipped from his fingers to Kuon's elbow.

It was exactly what he wanted and demanded every fiber of his self-control not to cum just seeing her so wild and wanton. He could think of nothing but being inside her, the painful pressure in his groin demanding relief. There was no room for gentleness, but he needed her to be minimally aware of what he was doing to her, otherwise all of his efforts to control himself would have been in vain.

His plan was to dominate all of Kyoko's senses, and he had not gone so far as to ruin everything now. However, thinking was easier than doing, since Kyoko, the woman he had loved and wanted for ten goddamn years, was naked, trembling, and impossibly wet before him.

Leaping up, he removed his boxer and held the swollen, throbbing member in his hand, smoothing it languorously as if taming a beast, waiting with barely restrained impatience for Kyoko to open her eyes.

When she did, she encountered the glazed gaze of Kuon, the man who had once been a confidant, a friend, a senpai, an impossible love, a distant dream, a guardian, and who now taught her about true lust.

Watching her watch him, he moved slowly between her legs, lining up his swollen, blackened tip with Kyoko's entrance, and looked expectantly at her. The only answer she had to give was to spread her thighs invitingly.

In the next second, the firm thrust. The hands holding her by the hips held her firmly in place, allowing him to sink to his base. She gasped and moaned; he grunted and stopped. His eyes fluttered in his sockets and his whole body shuddered.

"So good! Fuck... you're so tight!"

The feeling of having him inside was not like anything she had ever felt in her life. That unbridled and crazy desire to feel every inch of him was a stunning novelty.

He knew it would be good, but he did not expect _that good_. He finally began to move, but he did so with some disbelief.

"Holy shit... so hot and wet..."

She was absolutely delicious and he knew he could not last long. Every time their hips collided, with every staccato moan she gave, an electric current of pleasure flowed down his spine.

She was such a sight, her eyes half open and tearful, her mouth open with moans, sighs, and cries of pleasure, her desperate hands pounding on the pillows and clenching the sheets, her lovely breasts swaying with each thrust. She was also close, but not as close as he was, and he needed her to come first, screaming his name.

"Kyoko... I need... shit! Don't... don't squeeze me like that... I'll... Fuck!"

As if it were possible, his obvious desperation only excited her more. It was primitively powerful to watch how her body was making a man so much more experienced than her lose control.

"Harder..."

"What?"

"Harder!"

He gave her what she wanted, even though it would make him last even less. One, two, three firm and rhythmic thrusts later, Kyoko's walls became wetter and tight as she begged him not to stop. Kuon felt beads of sweat trickling down his back and temples in the almost extraordinary effort he was making as he pushed deep inside her, retreating to the tip only to sink back down to the base, harder and harder.

As if the feel of her body opening to receive his was not enough, now she whimpered his name as her liquid excitement trickled down Kuon's legs.

"Fuck... Kyoko, I... dammit, you're so hot!"

Finally, he felt it. Kyoko blessedly screamed his name as she came, making Kuon almost cry with relief and cum two thrusts later, pouring himself into her and barely managing to keep the dead weight that had become his body from colliding with hers.

Behind the haze of pleasure, Kyoko could feel him pulsing inside her and trembling over her. Both were sweaty, breathless, exhausted, but it was obvious that his exhaustion was greater than hers. Therefore, she tried, though unhelpfully, to accommodate him best in bed. After a few unsuccessful attempts, the most she could do was make him return to planet Earth, realize what she was trying to do, and crawl across the bed, taking her with him, comfortably accommodating the two of them.

He hugged her, kissed her, and asked if she was all right, if he had been rough, if he had hurt her, barely giving her time to answer between questions. He combed her hair with his fingers and kissed her face, whispering vows of love in Japanese, English and Russian, promising that he would never allow anything or anyone to stand between them again.

Kyoko cried. Finally, she had her prince.

At some point during the cuddle, they fell asleep. They woke up a few times during the night: he, to cover her because of the cool breeze that came in through the window; she, to swallow a yogurt (they had not dined and she was almost sure he pretended to sleep when she asked if he wanted something to eat); both, as the rising sun filtered through the open curtains.

It was a new day. A new tomorrow. A new life, full of possibilities.

 **A/N - Promise is debt! Is mine paid? XD**


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7 - THE UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE CENTURY**

She knew something was wrong with him as soon as she saw him.

In the few times when she was lucky enough to find him out of work situations, he was always surrounded by the cast. It was always a celebration, a virtually obligatory event in which it would be very rude of him to refuse the invitation, so it was only these invitations that he accepted.

She was not a fool. No, quite the opposite: she was an experienced woman; some would even say a wise one. Others would say cunning, but she did not care, because she knew she would be praised if she were a man.

She was also observant, very observant. Observing him, she noticed that the insistence of his colleagues annoyed him, though he did not show it. Therefore, she decided she would never insist with him. Tricks irritated him, it was clear, so she would never use a trick against him. (At least not one he could discover). He also bothered with immaturity, which made everything easier for her, since it was rare to find a man so young that didn't appreciate the false displays of candor of girls much younger than herself.

Then, she knew there was something wrong with him that night. He was not surrounded by co-workers as usual, but with a single companion. Kijima was his name, if her memory did not fail her. So, it was not a work event, but something personal, intimate, and the two did not seem to enjoy themselves. No, their bodies' language was more "a gesture of camaraderie" than "happy hour". One of them needed support, and it was easy to guess whom.

Something was definitely wrong with him, which made that day her lucky day.

As she predicted, neither of them refused her request to keep them company. How could they? It would not be chivalrous. The pleasant conversation was easy to keep up with, and the light drinks she asked for and which they politely accompanied made everything very placid, warm, and friendly. They were three people pretending to be together, when their minds (and hearts) were elsewhere, with intentions and feelings perfectly camouflaged by an unpretentious conversation.

She purposely caught him by surprise when she mentioned White Day. He seemed farther away than normal, and she wanted his attention on her, somehow. It took him a few seconds to respond, which intrigued her. Was he too surprised to formulate his usually quick answers? He always, always had agile reasoning, and by the empty glasses on the table she knew he was not drunk enough to be with a dull brain. So what?

More importantly, did the reason matter? No, as long as she got some advantage.

The perfect opportunity came soon after, when he went to pay the bill. At last, she could find him alone, and she would have the perfect excuse in the form of a courtesy that she thought unnecessary, considering what she was already planning to do.

The kiss surprised him, but he did not avoid it. He did not respond, but he did not reject it. He demonstrated all the perplexity he felt at her gesture, but he did not admonish her. Yes, he was a much more mature man than his age would make her suppose, so there was no big deal in a kiss, right?

She knew he was as passionate as he tried to seem indifferent. She had seen it in a few glimpses, especially when he managed to smile, though his lips uttered harsh words to the arrogant colleagues who were hindering the production. Yes, he knew how to be cruel and sly as only a malicious person could be, and charming enough to leave unscathed.

Just like her.

They say equals recognize each other and she hoped it was true. She looked at him seductively after the kiss, and then staged the same sweet smile he displayed to disarm people, all to show him they were the same.

Perfect for each other.

Far from being the retribution for Valentine's Day as she claimed, that kiss was much more. If he was not a complete fool, and she was sure he was not, he would get all the messages she'd given that night. When, even in spite of the stolen kiss, he not only did not reproach her but also offered to accompany her to the car that would come for her, she knew she had played all her cards correctly. He was a mature man, after all. Discreet. Gentleman enough to identify the subtleties of the interactions and respond elegantly to each one of them. Unlike the companion who stayed at the bar, he would not give a silly grin, behave like a convinced brat, or respond to her seductive charm with a vulgar remark. There was nothing rude about this man, which only seduced her more.

Probably, she would not even have to ask him to share the car with her. He was in no condition to drive, so nothing more reasonable than sharing a taxi. Besides, he was a gentleman, and gentlemen would not allow an unaccompanied woman, at that hour of the night, to be taken by an unknown driver.

She did not know what had started that fortuitous sequence of events, but it did not matter. As long as she was taking advantage.

###

There was something wrong with him, for sure. She did not want to think about it, but it seemed inevitable, given the circumstances.

He was a professional to the last cell. He believed in dedication to work on a level that bordered on spiritual. So how, in the name of acting, had he fallen in love with an actress of such mediocre dedication and dubious character as Morizumi Kimiko?

There was something wrong with him, definitely. However, she did not want to think about it, let alone judge his feelings and choices. Hadn't she been completely blinded by love for someone like Sho not long ago?

She did everything to reassure the agent they had exceptionally shared. She masterfully acted a young woman not at all worried that she'd almost been thrown off a balcony, all to end the subject. All to keep the day's events from reaching his ears. It was bad enough that he did not have his feelings reciprocated; he did not need to know about the events that removed his beloved from the acting world.

He did not need to know that she had been a part of the scheme. She wasn't even in the list of people close enough to receive a White Day's trinket, if he discovered that she had somehow contributed to Kimiko's misfortune, she could see herself being completely excluded!

It was with such fear that she endeavored to convince the shared agent to reveal nothing. He did not understand, argued that the secret was unnecessary, but since she did not want to say the real motive aloud, she only insisted that she would be too embarrassed to be caught off guard and feared for the reprimand she would hear if he knew what had happened.

Finally, the agent relented. He would not contact him to talk about it.

She was left at home and managed to smile until the last second. It was difficult, because her hurt heart wanted to vent all the pain in tears, but she restrained herself before the agent. She almost faltered at the farewells and all because he was sad that he couldn't remain as her agent. She could barely handle her own grief, and now he included his grief on the table. It was too much, so she hurriedly said goodbye with artificially joyful words and rushed to the Darumaya under the excuse of wanting to help in the restaurant.

All the time she smiled. That was a good day, after all. A lucky day, some would say: she had won both the role of Momiji and the recognition of a person as demanding as Koenji Erika and managed to escape unscathed from the machinations of Morizumi Kimiko.

So why did her heart kept ignoring everything that had worked out and concentrated only on hurting, hurting, hurting? Why was she still suffering from his lack of communication? Why, did not he tell her to do her best? What about his dubious emoticon that seemed more of a threat a few days before? He should have been interested in the outcome of the audition, right?

However, maybe he did not know Kimiko would be a candidate. Perhaps he had discovered, hence the silence.

With so many doubts and fears, she did not contact him.

###

No one contacted him that night, actually. Therefore, there was something wrong with that fateful day.

No insider information from the worried agent that would make him run wildly to Darumaya to make sure she was okay. No connection from her through which he could grasp all the anguish she felt and the loneliness she was feeling to make him equally run to Darumaya to find out what distressed her.

Anyway, nothing that prevented him from continuing on autopilot.

Ren could not handle what was happening inside him. Ren did not have to. Ren was just an alter ego created to have warm, subdued, contained emotions. Ren was the clothes Kuon wore to introduce himself to the world.

Kuon could not handle what was happening inside him. Kuon never needed to. Kuon fell asleep at the age of sixteen, never feeling that kind of intense, confused, unruly emotion. Another category, yes: anger. But love? Jealousy? Possessiveness? Delusion?

Never.

Kijima wasn't completely wrong with his assumptions. He wasn't completely right, either. Ren was not hanging around at the office because he did not want to go home, but because he did not know what to do. He was lost, as simply as that. His body stopped working and he just sat there waiting for an answer, a thought that miraculously occurred to him about what to do next.

There was no program in either Ren or Kuon to tell him how to proceed, so he entered the stupidity of autopilot: his image was that of the original Ren, the overly educated actor and gentleman who would never be angry. The man he was before Kyoko appeared in his life and turned it into a wonderful chaos. His decisions, however, were those of Kuon, the lonely and confused young man who did not refuse the opportunities that came his way.

A.k.a., autopilot mode.

Before him, a woman who knew what to do. In front of him, a woman who offered him a known path, so often traveled in the past.

It did not matter the bar being exclusive, if they left it together. There was no hiding the situation from the media, if they were followed to her residence.

When the news came up, Lory and Yashiro were appalled.

To the photo showing Kyoko and Sho, the media asked the agencies for permission to make the disclosure. Not out of consideration or modesty, but because it was counterproductive for a tabloid to muddy an artist's name before he became a celebrity. No, the fruit must remain untouched until it is ripe. However, _that_ two celebrities were too appetizing to be ignored, hence the rudeness of the morning headlines.

There was nothing to do. Neither did Ren intend to do anything but publicly admit the relationship. Not that the stifling feeling of before had left him, but at least now he was in familiar territory, which was some relief.

Ren did not see how Kyoko was devastated by the news.

###

Kyoko was a splendid Momiji. The best there could be, in fact. The commotion around the news that the most coveted bachelor was out of the market was the kind of torment her character needed to steal the scene and raise the level of the production to a level that her fellow actors needed to work their asses out to get close to.

On the rare occasions when they briefly met, they feigned to each other that they were well. They were just acquaintances now. It was as if she had never been his talisman. It was as if he had never been her stronghold. As if they had never looked for each other at times that completely ignored common sense. As if she had never wept copiously in his chest as he tenderly embraced her. As if they had not shared the same bed when nightmares plagued him.

Everything that belonged to a not so distant past now seemed to belong to another life.

She could only think of his statement that he would never kiss a person he did not care about. He could only think of the solemn promise she had made of not allowing Sho to kiss her again and left her so distressed to kiss Corn. To him, it was like it didn't matter what version of him he showed her: he would always lose to Sho.

Kyoko almost managed to escape from seeing him side by side with his girlfriend. The images of the two were everywhere, after all. Ren almost managed to escape from seeing Sho around Kyoko. Sho, who wasted no time in mocking her when he knew about Ren's courtship with a beautiful woman. Sho, who used every opportunity he had trying to humiliate Kyoko enough for her to accept submissively return to him.

Seen from a distance, as Ren saw them, they looked like a couple. He would not make her as happy as she deserved, Ren was sure, but if it was Sho-chan she wanted, what could be done? As much as Lory and Yashiro complained that he should at least declare his feelings, he always froze at the same issue: it was not just a matter of saying "I love you", but a matter of saying "I love you, I'm Corn, I'm Kuon Hizuri , I'm a murderer, sorry for lying, I know I betrayed your trust, and yes, I have a girlfriend I don't love, our relationship is a convenience for both of us, and yes, I know this is wrong and contradicts the precious image you have of me, and it's all my fault, since I am the one who made the world believe that I am infallible, but still, I want you to choose me over the brat you've loved since ever"

Holy Moly.

Kyoko, in turn, as soon as she managed to organize her thoughts, realized that Ren had found a way to overcome Kimiko's rejection. She was surprised, in fact, that she had never thought it was possible to forget one person by falling in love with another.

If it had worked for Ren, it might work for her. Like the good Kouhai she was, Kyoko tried to replicate the steps of her senpai. At what point exactly did he know he was not reciprocated, she could not say. She could not ask either, because if she were nothing before, now that he had a girlfriend (and what a girlfriend, good grief!) it would be impossible to approach him with this subject. Nevertheless, she deduced it was when he gave the ring to Kimiko.

However, this raised another question: somehow, he had declared himself. Perhaps a confession would be key to moving forward.

The more she thought, the more the idea made sense to her, until the "recipe" was finally clear: first, to put the "poison" of unrequited love out with a confession; then, fill the heart again with a reciprocated feeling.

Yes, it looked good. The fear of before, of losing his respect and trust, no longer existed, after all, she had nothing to lose. In fact, this fear was replaced by another: that Ren would fulfill Lory's "prophecy," and, like the boss's provocation, tell her he was about to get married. How could she, in such circumstances, tell him how she felt?

As if in a magic spell, all the hesitation, all the fear and all the shame of old were replaced by the cold determination to make her feelings known. When she asked Yashiro for an opportunity to talk to Ren alone, the agent did not know what to expect, but it certainly was not what was to come.

As soon as Ren realized that the "emergency meeting" was a private conversation with Kyoko, he cursed Yashiro for persisting in the task of uniting them. In the absence of a better idea of what to talk about, since she seemed petrified before him (all her former courage had abandoned her when she came face-to-face with Ren), and as he already intended to praise Kyoko's magnificent performance as Momiji, he blessedly gave her the perfect cue.

(The connection between them was something from another world).

Kyoko didn't have a single tear in her eyes when she thanked him for the compliment, but she considered it uncalled for, since it was his own doing that she had gotten that Momiji interpretation. If it had not been for the jealousy he was provoking in her, Momiji would not be so aggressive. If it were not for the pain she felt at seeing him with another woman, Momiji would not be so emotional. If it were not for the desperation to love him and not be reciprocated, Momiji would not be so irrational. Therefore, he should not praise her: she was the one who should thank him for the gift of making her experience such intense feelings, and for the first time. And, after giving a perfect bow to a bewildered Ren, she added with a smile that he didn't need to worry, since she was well aware that there was no place in his life for someone like her, and that she was making every possible effort to forget him and would never bother him again with her undesirable feelings.

Kyoko smiled one last time, and for the first time her eyes filled with unshed tears. She was saying goodbye. She turned to leave, but couldn't take a single step before Ren's hand closed over hers, stopping her. "We need to talk," he said in a choked voice.

The understatement of the century!


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8 - NEEDS**

He only knew he needed to see her. Immediately. As much as Yashiro was not a reliable source of information about Kyoko, with his constant scheming and teasing, Ren knew when the agent was serious. And when Yashiro says that Kyoko narrowly escaped an attempted murder, the matter _is_ serious.

Upon reaching the Darumaya, Ren discovered that she was taking a shower. Yes, after a full day of audition for the role of a ninja, it was no wonder she wanted a good shower. He was accommodated in the same place where Sho and Kyoko talked about Saena. Okami-san was nice and Taisho did not stay around so he could calm down. Kyoko was fine, so he could calm down.

However, he was not calm: he crossed and uncrossed his arms, ran his hands through his hair, sighed and incessantly repeated _"what a day!"_ to himself. He practically jumped every time the door slid open and Okami-san came in to ask if he was okay, if he wanted something besides water, if he wanted more water when there was only ice in the glass, to which he replied as politely as possible: "I'm fine. I just need to talk to Kyoko for a minute and I'll be gone".

Finally, Okami-san realized she was only raising his anxiety and blessedly left him alone. Kyoko became the next target of the solicitous woman, who wasted no time in approaching the young woman when she heard the bathroom door open.

"Tsuruga-san is here. He wants to talk to you". Such magical words made her broken heart skip a beat as she remembered all the crudities of the day. Kyoko looked at herself in her pajamas and thought for a second about changing her clothes. However, she decided it would not make any difference to be seen in the dullest nightwear in the universe.

When the door slid again, it was finally Kyoko. Ren let out a relieved sigh as he saw for himself that she was fine, just... undeniably tired. In a way he'd never seen her before, and he was not referring to the pajamas. Even her smile was tired, answered by his equally tired smile.

They were both exhausted. _"What a day!"_ , they thought simultaneously.

He congratulated her on the role of Momiji and she replied that she was relieved he was not angry with her. Ren did not understand her. Kyoko did not explain herself.

She was sitting in front of him when she finally noticed the lump in Ren's forehead. Approaching to examine it, she noticed the recent dyeing of his hair. Looking at him from above for the first time, so closely and with adequate lighting, the lenses became noticeable. His way of sitting also denounced him.

She was too tired to continue pretending, especially considering his atypical carelessness with the evidence. He was too tired to keep acting, especially considering she was not giving him a single cue that made sense.

"Seiza!"

One word, and Ren knew the farce was over. For both of them. He sat down "properly," as Kyoko commanded him to do in Guam, and waited for her next move. He was surprised when she knelt beside him, scooped the ice cubes from the glass onto a cloth napkin and pressed it into the lump that formed in his forehead, a reminder of his current distraction.

From time to time, she pushed his hair back and lifted the makeshift ice bag to see if the swelling was subsiding. He supposed he should tell her that such an attempt was useless, since a long time had passed since the blow and now it was probably too late for that compress, but she was so close to him, combing his hair with her fingers, with an expression that was a mixture of weariness, worry and sadness, that he could not push her away. He didn't want to, either.

Not to mention that the smell of her soap was intoxicating. He had to find out what brand she was using. He would be surprised to know that it was the cheapest brand in the local minimarket.

He wondered, especially, how he would approach the pending issue between them, until she gave him an idea when she was combing his hair one more time.

"Are the roots appearing?"

Her response was immediate, confirming the end of the farce.

"No, but your scalp is still stained"

"Oh, I see..."

"I'm sorry"

She surprised him once more. "What are you apologizing for? I was the one-"

"I'm giving myself a NG. I'm sorry for not being 'Mogami-san' now"

Oops. New warning sign.

"If you cannot be Mogami-san, does that mean I should not be Tsuruga-san?"

He needed to act cautiously to understand what was happening.

"Yes. At least for today. I'm a little sad with Tsuruga-san..."

"Really? What did that idiot do with you?"

For a moment, he absurdly forgot that the idiot was him.

"... I do not know if I should tell..."

"Tell me please. I need to know!"

Whatever it was, he intended to fix it.

"Well, he forgot about me on White Day..."

She finally was satisfied with the compress and left it on the table, but did not leave his side. That should be a good sign, right?

"Really? Are you sure? I find it hard to believe that he has forgotten-"

"He forgot me, indeed! I'm sure about it!"

Now she looked slightly irritated. And sulky.

"Okay, okay. I think you're mistaken, but I do not want to bother you. What about Bo, can you be Bo today? I have some confessions to make..."

He did not want to surprise her by revealing that he knew she was Bo, but maybe if he told Bo... if he told _her_ the whole truth about White Day, she would forgive him.

"No way! I do not want to hear any more secrets from Ren!"

One more surprise: she did not even hesitate. Kyoko was definitely ending all the farces.

"Wait a sec. Are you upset with Ren, too?"

The situation was more complicated by the minute. What a day, indeed!

"Very much!"

"What did he do?"

"He told Bo that he's in love with a schoolgirl!"

"Oh, really? What else?"

Now he was starting to cheer up. Finally, a cue he could follow.

"And then, he gave a White Day ring to Morizumi-san!"

Just to be discouraged shortly after. _"How did she know about that incident?"_ was what he wondered.

"Oh, that sounds serious and not like him. Are you sure about that?"

"She showed me! And to make matters worse, I've spent the last few days seeing all kinds of White Day gifts he's given everyone and..."

"…And?"

He was almost too afraid to ask.

"..."

He reproached himself for not having listened to Yashiro's advice. He should have given her something, after all. Especially because he had the perfect chance, since they met in the White Day. However, once he put in his head what the present would be, nothing would dissuade him from the idea, although to concretize it he needed time.

The problem was that the time he needed caused a misunderstanding that hurt her.

"What else did he do?"

She began to fidget and her eyes filled with tears.

"It's more a matter of what he did _not_ do... He did not give me anything... Not even a card..."

"Oh no! Don't cry, please! Kyoko-chan, I'm so sorry!"

While he was frantically searching for a way to explain himself, she surprised him again.

"Hey, do not become Corn all of a sudden!"

"W-what? You always look for Corn when you cry, don't you? "

"Yes, but I do not want to be Kyoko-chan right now!"

"What should I do, then? You said you cannot be Mogami-san..."

"Because I'm sad with Tsuruga-san!"

"I got this. Then you said you cannot be Bo..."

"Very disappointed with Ren at the moment..."

"Noted! Now, you say you do not want to be Kyoko-chan..."

"Because I'm mad at Corn!"

Now his day was completed!

"Mad at Corn? Why, mad at Corn?"

He wondered if she was already cursing him. _"I managed to hurt her being three different people. At least Fuwa Sho is just one bastard_ " was the thought that tormented him.

"...For starters, he jumped from a balcony. There is a limit to the commitment to a role, and risking a life is far beyond reasonable!"

"Okay, okay, that's fair. Did he do anything else wrong?"

"... He said that he loved me and kissed me"

"And that made you mad?"

"When a girl's first declaration of love comes from a man pretending to be a fairy, and the said man, in real life, does not even give her a simple card on White Day, but gives another girl a ring, I suppose the neglected girl has the right to be mad!"

It seems the "White Day shenanigan" was chasing him. _"Note to myself: always follow Yashiro's love advice without question!"_

"Ah, I see. Yes, it makes sense. It seems like neither of the two was serious about you, right?"

"None of the _three_ : Ren told Bo that he couldn't have someone important, and yet he declared himself to Morizumi-san with that ring"

He cursed mentally in three different languages, one for every idiot he was.

"Wow… The three have hurt you in some way..."

The situation was not favorable, but as long as she stayed beside him, all was not lost.

"..."

"So, who do you want to be now?"

"No one. If we exclude Mogami-san, Kyoko-chan and Bo, only Kyoko remains"

He instantly perked.

"Hey, I like that! What's wrong with being Kyoko?"

Yes, he longed for the day when she would be just Kyoko to him. No more honorifics.

"With whom Kyoko will interact, if she does not want to talk to Tsuruga-san, Ren and Corn?"

This was the best cue he could ever want. Time to not screw up!

"How about Kuon?"

"Kuon?"

"Kuon Hizuri, to be exact"

"..."

"..."

"Otou-san's mysterious son?"

"Yes, your otou-san's mysterious son"

"And what would he say to Kyoko?"

It was now or never.

"Well, let me think... Kuon would start by saying that he had a very promising day, with his early return to Japan. After all, he would see Kyoko, his girl. She's not really his girl, but he likes to think so. Then the day soon turned bad because his boss showed him a picture where the girl he loves and an arrogant brat who does not deserve her kiss for the second time, even though she has promised never to allow a second kiss to happen. That took him off completely. The day continues with a humiliating blow to the head, witnessed by a frolic but good-hearted friend that accompanies him to a bar so that he tries to get better after spending the day anguished with the possibility of the girl he loves to be in a relationship with that dude, the one who does not deserve her. In the sequence, a former co-worker takes advantage of Kuon's distraction and kisses him as some sort of White Day's late gift. Here he would make a parenthesis to Kyoko and tell her no, she was not the only one left out, and no, he did not forget her, just postponed her gift because he was afraid"

"A gift? So, is there a gift for me?"

He did not know whether to laugh or cry.

"Wait a second: you kept quiet so far and this is the topic that caught your eye? Not "the girl he loves", not "the photo of the second kiss with Sho", but the fact that there is a gift for you?"

Now that he put it into words, she realized how it made no sense at all.

"Unbelievable!"

The word 'stunned' could not describe him. To his perplexity, she had the decency to respond with embarrassment.

"... Forgive me for the interruption. You may continue..."

He still needed a few moments to compose himself.

"Where was I? Oh, yeah... On the way out of the bar, Kuon got a call from his agent telling him how the girl he loves-" (Here, he made sure to stare at her until she finally blushed and looked away.)" "-was almost thrown from a building, which made him panic and look for her immediately. He wanted to hold her as soon as he saw her, but he had to control himself because he did not want to scare her. In the end, it was she who scared him when she reported every time he screwed up with her. The scene ends with Kuon explaining that Ren knew she was Bo the instant Bo said she hated him, since he only knew a person with such a level of sincerity. So the confession about the high school girl was his way of telling her that he loved her, after all, even if he did not feel worthy of someone important and respected her choice to never fall in love again, Ren needed to confess his feelings. As for Tsuruga-san's supposed oblivion, he by no means precluded Kyoko on White Day. In fact, he decided he would give her the truth, the whole truth, but for that, Kuon needed to be ready, hence the delay. At this point, Kuon apologizes to Kyoko for allowing his own cowardice to hurt her. Continuing with the explanations, there was no White Day ring: it was just a scene Morizumi-san had set up to make it look like she and Tsuruga-san had some special relationship, nothing more. Last but not least, Corn declared himself and kissed Kyoko because he got carried away, after all, the girl he loves-" (he repeats the procedure of looking at her until she blushes and looks away) "-is always so formal that he did not resist the closeness she was allowing"

"..."

"How about this script?"

"...Does it end like this?"

"Do you need more?" What a demanding girl! "Um, let me see... Well then, how about this: I explain that it is not due my commitment to a role that it took me so long to reveal myself to you; It's because I love you that I kept acting. It was because Mogami-san needed her senpai Tsuruga-san, because Bo needed to help Ren and because Kyoko-chan needed the magic of Corn that I followed all your cues to this day. I've always found a way to be who you need because your needs are important to me. I hope you understand I would not jump off a balcony for anyone else"

He looks at her intensely and this time she does not look away.

"...Kuon would tell all this to Kyoko?"

He felt so light after the long confession that he almost believed he could actually fly.

"He would tell even more: Kuon would tell why he disappeared only to assume a new identity on the other side of the world"

"Really? Would he tell all this?"

"I'm a hundred percent sure"

"...And why now? What has changed? Why not in Dark Moon? Or Tragic Mark?"

"Well, because unless I'm misunderstanding your cues, and it would be the first time this happens, you would not be sad with Tsuruga-san, disappointed with Ren and angry at Corn if you did not need my love, and this is a need I would never fail to meet."

When Okami-san slid the door to see if they needed anything, she shut it down quickly as she realized the couple needed only privacy.

Kyoko, it seemed, needed a kiss.

 **A / N – Sorry if it's confusing, I was so excited about this idea that I wrote this really fast! XD It's my mega-super-blaster-master-power happy and equally utopian version for the unfolding events of manga XD**

 **I would do something like that with the plot, if I had the chance. And the next volume would likely to be hentai. Probably. Certainly.**

 **For those who expected a continuation of the previous chapter, a dogeza. T_T I really did not think of going any further than I wrote, since to me it's just a matter of either of the two idiots declaring themselves. Only that. After all, two people who love each other cannot be separated! T_T**


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9 – THE JOY AND THE AGONY OF INTIMACY (PART 1/?)**

Kyoko was beginning to regret accepting his help, after all, someone as self-conscious as she would never be comfortable in such an embarrassing situation. It was nearly three o'clock in the morning, and someone else was, at that ungrateful hour, buying something that she, as a careful woman, should always have at hand. To make matters worse, Kuon had left half an hour ago and there was no sign of him.

How much time did he need to buy... _that_? The grocery store was in his building, for God's sake! The whole thing should be summed up by getting off the elevator, getting into the store, picking up the package, paying and getting up the elevator. It would only take ten minutes at the most! What was holding him back so long?

She herself would have gone, were it not for the shrill scream she let out when she found herself unprepared, and just on a day when she would sleep in his apartment. He seemed willing to break the bathroom door in his distress to protect her from whatever made her scream like that, and it was precisely his worried, urgent tone that made her reveal that she had suffered a "female accident".

In short, he was reassured at the expense of her mortification. Never in her life did she imagine herself in the situation of telling such a thing to a man, whoever he might be.

Kuon seemed to have everything under control when he sighed in relief and assured her that he could go to the supermarket for her. He demonstrated such ease before the embarrassing situation she believed she was in that Kyoko felt compelled to admit that there was no point in running the risk of displaying her condition as a woman if he was so willing to help her. Eager, even. It was not easy to say no when he behaved like a man on a noble mission.

Like a knight in shining armor of modern times, he put on his helmet (a cap), took his sword (his wallet) and set off confidently to inhospitable lands (the supermarket) in order to win the battle that awaited him (the purchase of a pack of sanitary pads). After all, Kyoko was a damsel in distress.

After convincing herself that his supposed familiarity with the subject came from his mother (since it was still unpleasant to think about the countless women he had), Kyoko accepted the help he offered. He looked so happy when she finally agreed, that at first she thought she had made the right choice. With his inexplicable delay, however, regret began to stretch its neck and show its ugly face.

Finally, the phone rang and, as expected, it was him.

"By God, Kuon! What is going on? Why such a delay?"

"It's so fascinating!"

"Fascinating? What's fascinating about feminine hygiene?"

Kyoko was about to discover that he had no familiarity with the subject.

"Who knew, right? I also thought there was nothing interesting about it, so imagine my surprise! I've always ignored this corridor, of course, but I've just discovered an entire unexplored universe and-"

"Kuon, just get the damn pack and come back here!"

To Kyoko, the thing was beyond embarrassing; Kuon, for his part, seemed to appreciate the situation a little more than he should, in her opinion.

"I would do that if I knew which one I should get..."

"That's easy: whatever!"

All she wanted was to get over that torture and go to sleep. It was not because they would only have work at night that they would waste hours of sleep with nonsense.

"That won't do, Little Squirrel! They would not make them in so many types and sizes if 'whatever' was good enough. Which one do you use?"

"W-what kind of indiscreet question is that? Y-you do not need to know such intimate details of mine!"

"That's not what the engagement ring on your finger says... If we're getting married - and we definitely are! - we will live together. Sooner or later I will know every little and intimate detail about you and-"

"Kuon, don't you think I'm embarrassed enough?" Her whining voice contained an obvious supplication he would never have ignored, had it not been for the fact that the whole ordeal was too much fun and interesting to miss.

"Well, if you do not tell me I'll have to guess and then I'll take more time". Of course Kyoko noticed that he completely ignored her question (and plea). "From what I understand, they are divided into tampons and pads. I'm… going to make a bold guess and exclude the tampons, since I can imagine you blushing to your toes just thinking about... inserting them". He almost laugh at the strangled sound she made. "My problem now is that the pads are so varied, that I cannot tell which one you use. I mean, those with flaps seem more practical because they promise to fix better in panties, but you've surprised me more than once with your unusual choices, so yeah I'm clueless about it... and there's also the covering, the menstrual flow... you'd say that your flow is intense, moderate or light?"

Kyoko could clearly hear, in the background, the sound of the packages being handled. She was on the verge of a breakdown as she imagined _the_ Tsuruga Ren reading labels of sanitary pads for someone on the cell phone, at three o'clock in the morning, while he considered himself an ace of disguise for wearing a fucking cap (she loved him with all her heart but God how stupid he was sometimes!).

"There are those with and without perfume. Oh, there are nightly pads too! They were my first choice, you know. After all, it's night, but then it seemed too obvious and... Hey, you still there?"

It was the last straw for her. To the threat that followed, he felt like a child again and cursed the day he left her talking to Julie without the supervision of a "responsible adult", that is, either him or Kuu.

"Kuon. Alexander. Hizuri! I do not want a goddamn pad anymore, I'm going to sleep without it and I will not mind if I stain your expensive Egyptian cotton sheets! Either you come back here right now or I'm going to spend a whole month without talking to you!"

Far from making an absurd threat like his mother's, Kyoko's seemed so plausible that he wasted no time in saying goodbye before he hung up the phone and returned to the apartment as fast as he could.

Five minutes later, a contrite Kuon knocked on the bathroom door and winced at Kyoko's irritated expression. She did not remain angry with him for much longer, however: it was enough that she realized that he was loaded with shopping bags to be completely disarmed. In doubt, Kuon had literally bought a pack of each.

She immediately forgave him. He knew how to be adorable when he wanted to. Even more when he did not want to. In fact, it was a burden to try to stay angry with someone so adorably baka.

 **N / A - Yes, I just gave a middle name to Kuon. And yes, I really hope that someday he'll let Kyoko know that he associates her with a cute little squirrel XD**


	10. Chapter 10

**Spoiler: Not everything is what it seems to be ;)**

 **CHAPTER 10 - ABOUT ANGELS AND DEMONS (PART 1/4)**

The first time he saw her, he thought she was angelic and adorable. With her blond curls and frilly dress, she was the perfect image of innocence at the age of six. Innocence that he, at the age of nineteen, had lost a long time ago.

A year later, his heart warmed and broke at the same time when he heard her say she would marry him when she became of age: as far as it was the first time he felt loved by someone, she was only a child, unable to see - and to love - his real self.

Two years later, the childish crush became the favorite joke among the Boss's employees. Although he did not care, because it was good to have someone to look at him with such devotion – even if he kept thinking that what she saw in him was far from reality - , she, in turn, was hurt by the mockery with which they treated her feelings.

Seeing her watery eyes pissed him off like never before. Not because she was the granddaughter of his Boss, godfather and savior, but because she was his special little girl and no one would hurt her without paying the bloody price.

Unfortunately, he could not continue to protect her. The Boss sent him to another country. He went willingly, though it hurt as hell to separate from her as she was clinging to his waist, crying and begging him not to leave her alone.

She saw him as the only person who understood her solitude and he knew it.

Four years later, when they finally met again, he was baffled. Not because she made it clear how annoyed she was that he had not responded to any of the emails she had sent him, but because his porcelain angel was acquiring curves that did not match his purity image of her. To make matters worse, her constant statements that they would marry one day were no longer cute, but rather worrisome and made him feel like a pedophile.

As the situation did not seem to improve and the embarrassment had already reached the level where she was pulling dangerous pranks on his girlfriends, the Boss sent her to a boarding school for girls the following year.

On that day, hell broke loose at the mansion. She only knew about her grandfather's decision at the last moment, when her belongings had already been packaged by the maids. He would always remember how she had to be forcibly placed inside the car, a task no one was happy to do, but the worst were the tears and the pleas she directed at him.

Of all the things he saw and did, that was the one that still caused him nightmares.

She tried to run away almost every day. For exactly one year, she was a handful to the boarding school staff and her grandfather, who did not know what to do with her. Until, for no apparent reason, she became what everyone seemed to expect of her: despite refusing to return home during holidays, a behavior that everyone imagined to be transient, she became the best school student, entered the most prestigious university, and finished the first year as the most promising talent in decades.

Everyone was relieved. Except that, at the beginning of the following year, she vanished into thin air.

* * *

"Setsu, remove the sign from the front door. I have hired the new guard."

Distracted by the tedious task of drying the glasses, she only murmured her acquiescence.

"You should have told me about your brother. It would have spared me the trouble of looking for the new guy."

Her movements immediately stopped. Raising her head quickly, she stared at the boss of the Pink Flamingo.

"...Brother?"

Unaware of the astonishment in her face and voice, the burly middle-aged man kept counting money at one of the bar tables.

"In the flesh. Big, bad-faced guy. Perfect for the work! He asked me to live with you in return for receiving less than half the promised salary, so I sent him straight to your apartment." The glass slipped from her hands and shattered on the floor. "Shit, Setsu! I will cash it out of your salary!"

She could not care less.

"Yes, yes, whatever."

As she climbed the stairs to the apartments on the upper floors, Setsu told herself not to be an idiot. Maybe it was not him. Maybe it was anyone else. However, if it was he, certainly he was just following orders.

Opening the door to the tiny apartment, the person she least wanted and most yearned to see became visible. It was he, her demon, comfortably reclined in the chair too small for someone of his size, his dark, indecipherable gaze resting on her.

Setsu could hardly believe her eyes. It was as if he had not aged a single day since the last time she had seen him seven years before, through the tears that streamed from her eyes as he just watched impassively some of Boss's brutes dragging her into the backseat of the limo that took her away from him.

* * *

Cain could hardly believe his eyes. He was utterly perplexed to see that his little angel had become a woman dressed in black leather and with more skin on display than hidden, but he was trained to show nothing.

"Really? _Brother_? You are my brother as much as I am a fairy! What a fucking nonsensical idea!"

He recognized the fire and the unusual statements that did not match the situation as much as it did not surprise him that the little girl who liked to collect occult articles had become a woman with gothic tastes, but both her curves and her language were being challenges to him.

"...It's not as nonsensical as your idea of using a fake document with my surname."

In fact, it was a brilliant idea, but he could not tell her that. (Above all, he could not tell her how he felt when he discovered she still remembered him after so many years.) The Takarada organization took two years to locate her, which was a rare feat. Not even the "business" enemies had been able to hide for so long.

They stared at each other indefinitely, both trying to absorb that moment.

"...Whatever. You cannot stay here."

He almost smiled as he recognized Lory's 'straight to the business' tone. She had been away from home for seven years, but not even such a separation was enough to erase the influence of the family.

"As long as you come with me, I can leave right now."

She was visibly irritated, but he was already waiting for the challenge.

"I'm serious, Cain. I know who sent you here and why, but neither you nor _he_ has control over my life now."

After all, she was already an adult woman, a reality he was having a hard time to accept, however obvious it was.

"Is that what you think about your grandfather?"

"Did you become a family therapist, by any chance? Or are you just being the loyal dog as always?"

"Enough, Sestu."

She really hated being treated like a child. Especially by him.

"No, it is not enough! You broke into my home-"

"This dump is not your home."

"-And infiltrated my workplace-"

"A brothel!"

"It is not a brothel! It is a nightclub!"

"A damn strip club. Setsuka Takarada, in a strip club. Do you want to insult your grandfather so much? Or is your target your father?"

She scoffed.

"Insult him? How? Is not this how the Takarada fortune began? So he can become a tycoon exploring places like this, but after the first million and the first casino, does he become too good for a nightclub?"

"He's not the one that's too good for this place, Setsu. You are. Everything your grandfather had always wanted was to give you a good and dignified life, away from the filth he knows."

"Tch, is that what he told you… let me guess… while smoking a Cuban cigar and drinking champagne?"

"A man has the right to enjoy the empire he has built."

"Just as a woman has the right to trace her own path."

That annoyed him enough to make him stand up, but neither his physique nor his anger intimidated her. As usual.

"Is that what you're doing? Tracing your path?" It was his turn to scoff. "Do not make me laugh, Setsu. With your intelligence, the sky is the limit for you. Anything you want to do is within your reach, and you choose-"

"What I choose is _my_ business!"

Of all the people who acted paternalistically with her, Cain was the one who bothered her the most.

"No, it's not! Not when you need to hide your identity! Do the women who work here, not by choice but out of necessity know that you are one of the richest heiress in the world?"

"No, but I'm not hiding from them, but from you, from my family and from the damn Takarada organization!"

Her statement hurt so much that he chose to pretend he had not listened.

"How would your _colleagues_ feel if they knew? Your attitude mocks the life story of each one of them and you know it so well that you are hiding behind a fake name!"

There was more truth in his words than she was willing to admit.

"I'm not mocking anyone! I am just trying to live my way!"

The desperation in her voice caught him by surprise, so Cain silently watched her as he tried to understand where the pain - his and hers – were coming from.

Interpreting his silence as recrimination, Setsu's shoulders fell in a rare gesture of defeat. The words she whispered next showed so much hopelessness that Cain wanted to hold her and assure her that everything would be all right, but he could not do it.

Not anymore.

"Why am I still trying? You would never understand..."

That was how Cain discovered that nothing hurt more than losing the privileged position he once had: he was no longer the only person who understood her solitude, and they both knew it.

 **A / N – I had to put the notice before the chapter because I thought "Darn, they're going to start reading and they're going to think 'how absurd! Ren is Kyoko's man!' (Yes, yes, I agree XD) and then they will drop the chapter" T_T**

 **I was not able to work on the other fic because this story was pestering me. XD Therefore, we will have another chapter before we get back to The Dragon's Lair.**

 **By the way, if you started reading and thought this was a 'Ren and Maria' chapter, I'm glad! :) My intention was exactly to merge the stories of Ren and Maria (age difference, crush and all) with the 'siblings' in an alternative universe. ;)**

 **(I have wanted to write about the Heel siblings for a long time. I do not know why it took me so long...)**


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11 - ABOUT ANGELS AND DEMONS (PART 2/4)**

Cain did not want to analyze the relief he felt when he discovered that Setsu was just the Pink Flamingo bartender because he was too busy dealing with the implications of Boss's new request: until the day she come to her senses and returned home of her own accord, he would continue with the Heel siblings' farce, live with her and protect her.

In the meantime, he should do _anything_ to convince her.

A shiver ran through him whenever he remembered Lory's intonation of "anything." Fearful of what he could hear, Cain chose not to ask what the extent of his deeds should be.

While practically chewing on a cigarette and growling at every male that surrounded her, he wondered how long his sanity would last. Yes, he was relieved to find out she was not a stripper, but that did not stop the clients from coveting her. Which, in turn, was a constant reminder that she was a woman, and a very desirable one, a fact that his eyes insisted on proving each time they slide through the tempting curves, eliciting thoughts that crossed the border of the appropriate.

To make matters worse, they were cohabiting. Every day he saw her leaving the bathroom after showering, wearing nothing but panties and a tank top, both very revealing. Her smell, an undeniable scent of woman, was in every corner of the decrepit one-room apartment. Finding her sprawled on the uncomfortable sofa that had become his bed in recent weeks, distracted while reading or painting her toenails, was a wonderfully homely and deliciously sensual situation. Hear her soft moans through the thin wall that separated them, he in the living, she in the bedroom, while Setsu pleasured herself, kept him awake for hours on end.

Cain could feel his self-control dwindling in the same proportion as self-contempt increased. Because she should not excite him so much. Setsu was the best part of his life - the only good part, actually - so she should stay away from his hands. Otherwise, she would be tainted by his cursed being.

* * *

Cain would not leave without her, determination that Setsu attributed to his loyalty to the Takarada Organization. The same loyalty that often made her wonder if he really liked her or if she was just another mission.

He was like a drug. Not that she had ever used drugs, but the symptoms she presented were typical of an addict: always trying to be stronger than her addiction, always imagining being able to live without him, and always failing miserably. Well, she tried to articulate her own intervention. She tried to complete all the steps of an impromptu rehabilitation. But how to be successful, if the addiction was bent on pursuing her?

Well, maybe she had boycotted herself by adopting the surname Heel, including a fake document and stuff. A small trail to guide him directly to her? Or just the last desperate cry of her heart, trying to protect a precious piece of itself in the form of the surname she always wanted to acquire?

Whatever the answer, she was at a crossroads. The days of forced cohabitation with her forbidden passion were translated into small secret pleasures that charged her dearly. Every smell, every look, every phrase and every gesture had intense and peculiar meanings that she cataloged obsessively. Setsu wanted to lock Cain inside herself, unaware that, behind his gentle words and sweet smiles, behind his eyes clouded by feelings as complex as conflicting, he tried to do the same with her.

She longed for the end of that torture as much as she wanted to eternalize it. It was a bittersweet dilemma to know that, in the midst of all doubt and behind every tense pause after a brief involuntary touch, he was also experiencing his own private hell. After all, despite being considered a demon, Cain had the decency of a saint while she, supposedly an angel, longed for the moment when he would corrupt her.

It would be a relief, indeed, if he realized how decadent she could be. Any other man would have noticed and taken advantage of it, but Cain was not like any other, and that was exactly why she loved him. That is, she was stuck in a vicious circle. Setsu could not break free from that chainless prison where her only jailer was her own heart, just as she was caught in the dilemma of wanting to change the nature of their relationship, making him see her as a woman, and the fear that he would be disappointed by that.

How could she overcome the fear of losing the special way with which he looked at her and made everyone around them embarrassed and suspicious that the two had an incestuous relationship? On the other hand, would there be anything worse than being stuck in that limbo?

Forget hell. For Setsu, nothing could be worse than that purgatory.

* * *

"It's our day off. Why did you dress up?"

"I'm going out."

"...With whom?"

"With a guy."

"...A date?"

"Yes, a date."

He grunted and frowned, but they both knew he could not do more than that. Without a word, Cain simply followed her and watched her from afar. After all, this was the job of a Takarada family bodyguard. However, it had never been so difficult to refrain from acting until there was a real threat going on. He really would love to beat the motherfucker who was eyeing her lasciviously.

In the weeks that followed, Setsu adopted the same hellish routine: on her only day off, she wore clothes that made him want to incinerate half of her wardrobe and went out to dinner with a random man much older than her. Because, according to her, young men bored her too quickly.

Cain wondered how fast the young guys bored her if even the older men were dismissed before dessert, but he never questioned her because it had become his greatest relief to get her home safely, smelling of Setsu and not some man or cheap motel soap.

His relief, however, was short-lived. After a few weeks of dining with a bunch of losers, occasions when Setsu exhaled indifference through every pore, she was finally behaving like a woman eager for the day's date. Her ever-graceful movements were uncoordinated, she seemed lost in thought and more than once Cain caught her sighing and smiling for no reason, which gave him many reasons to be tense, worried, anguished, and irritated.

As usual, Cain followed her. This time, however, the weight on his chest was overwhelming. There was no doubt that that date was different. Better saying, that man was special, which made Cain hate him and entertain himself in planning his mysterious disappearance as he walked a few yards behind Setsu.

When she reached her intended destination, he faltered in pain. She had entered a quiet restaurant in a respectable neighborhood. Either the guy had money or wanted to impress her, which should reassure him for the simple fact that she would be treated like the queen she was, but it only angered him.

Something in his heart roared like an agonizing animal and made him examine the men approaching the restaurant door with the desperate fury of those who are about to lose the most important part of their soul. After dragged minutes that turned into an hour of waiting, the relief that crept inside him soothed him as much as shamed him. After all, his relief meant the sadness of his most important person.

Examining her through the glass window, Cain was surprised by what he saw: contrary to what he expected, she showed no annoyance or sadness, only determination. In fact, she seemed willing to wait all night if necessary.

That guy meant a lot to her if he could keep her patiently waiting for him for over an hour. It was quite a feat, and Cain grudgingly wondered if the man would know that, but in his heart, he hoped not. After all, Setsu only revealed herself to people who came close enough, which were few. A select group, in fact, to which he was proud to belong.

While he imagined some idiot trying to usurp his place, Cain pondered what was happening. Apparently, some bastard had rejected Setsu. The guy could not be in his right mind. Or he was dead. So much the better. Or maybe he would still show up, with an excuse convincing enough to reward him with a smile. The same smile that he loved so much that it tormented him to think of another man receiving.

When he realized what he was doing, Cain was already sitting on the empty chair in front of her.

"The idiot is not coming, Setsu. Eat something, you must be hungry."

There was the smile he did not want anyone else to receive! The white teeth, the dimple on her left cheek, her eyes gleaming with joy. Setsu revealed the contents of her heart when she smiled like that, which always made him genuinely proud of himself for being worthy of her trust. After all, Setsuka Takarada knew how to be an impenetrable fortress when she wanted to.

Without needing to look at the menu, Setsu ordered to the waiter. Only when the food arrived did Cain realize that she had also ordered for him. He was not hungry, but he would eat anything she told him to eat. Because he trusted her, period.

The night he thought would be the most excruciating of all had become the best of his life. They chatted amicably while they ate, and Cain prided himself on making her laugh, in that sense of humor so peculiar to both of them.

 _"I always wanted to ask you about your name. Cain is not exactly an ordinary name, especially because of the Old Testament... So how did you end up with it?"_

It was the sort of question only Setsu could ask him.

 _"According to my mother, I killed my twin in her womb."_

It was the sort of response only Cain could give without flinching.

It was the first time he had seen her burst out laughing, an image he absorbed greedily and locked in his heart like a precious treasure. What to the world was morbid humor to Cain was undeniable proof that she alone had the power to turn the unpleasant memories of his childhood into something he liked to remember.

The restaurant was already closing when dinner was over. Outside, his jacket lay on her shoulders so casually that it was as if they had done it several times, and so could be said about the slow walk back home.

Neither of them could tell whose hand had taken the initiative. Such information was not relevant. It was enough that they were so united that no one in the world could refute the truth of their hearts. A truth Setsu had always accepted, but for Cain it meant admitting that if he really wanted to claim her heart, there was only one way to do it.

It was a dilemma. He knew what he wanted and what he needed to do to reach his goal, but he loved her too much to touch her. In short, the very feeling that made him want to monopolize her demanded that he protect her from a fallen being like himself. As a result, when the apartment door closed and he saw her looking at him, so frail and expectant, Cain hated himself more than ever.

"It was a long night. You must be tired. "

Her response was quick and full of meaning.

"Not a bit."

He did not have enough willpower to move away from her.

"...Go to bed, Setsu."

"You coming too?"

He pretended not to understand the invitation because it was too damn hard to reject it.

"No, I'll take a shower."

"Can I go with you?"

Cain felt cornered a few times in his life. As far as he could remember, Setsu was responsible for most of them.

"...You should get away from me now."

"Why?"

Her eyes defied him as much as they begged for so many things that it would be possible to make a list.

"Because my job is to protect you, and right now I'm a threat."

He knew such words would encourage her, but anything else he said would be a lie and hurt her.

"I am not afraid of you."

As if to demonstrate what she was saying, she moved closer and rested her hands on his chest. Unable to stop her, Cain closed his eyes, rested his forehead against hers and held her by the hips, lying to himself that he was just keeping her from getting even closer to him.

"You should. I'm bad influence for you."

As she took a deep breath to get up the courage, Setsu thought it was good that they were finally talking about their relationship, whatever it was.

"Is that why you suggested to Grandpa to send me to boarding school?"

This made him immediately open his eyes and face her.

"...How did you know?"

He was genuinely surprised. It never occurred to him that she would have such information.

"Dad wrote me at the end of my first year there. He said I should stop trying to run away because I was just being a problem for everyone and the idea of boarding school was yours."

Oh. So that was the cause of her sudden change of behavior and her detachment in the following years. Peering into her gaze, Cain identified so much suffering that a lump formed in his throat.

"Setsu, I-"

She suddenly hugged him.

"I tried to be a good girl, I really did! If you wanted me away from you, then it was up to me to disappear from your life." Her voice was a muffled cry against his chest as she gave in to tears. "I've tried to make things right so I would not be a burden on you and Grandpa anymore."

Her words, broken by painful sobs, were like daggers in his heart.

"You're not a burden!"

Cain held her firmly, as if he could absorb all the sadness of the young woman clinging to him in despair.

"I wanted to go home when I became of age, but Daddy's words haunted me. I could not bear being a problem for you, so I ran away."

Behind what Setsu was revealing was the hurt of a young woman who felt rejected three times: the first by her father, who left her with her grandfather when she became the painful memory of his deceased wife; the second by her grandfather, who sent her to boarding school; and the third by Cain, who suggested her departure. That is, her three most important men had hurt her, which explained the resentment she had shown when she came face-to-face with Cain again.

"Setsu, you needed to get away from me. Your attachment to me was... disturbing, to say the least. You were growing up too fast and I was... I _am_ a bad influence. In addition, the boarding school offered a healthier environment for your development. As for your grandfather, he only agreed with me because he loves you and wants what is best for you, just like me."

She jerked her head away from his chest and looked at him as if she wanted to decipher the mysteries of the universe on his face.

"Just like you? Just like you love me? Or just like you want the best for me?"

The tenderness in his face when Cain replied, far from comforting her, only distressed her even more.

"They're both the same to me. After all, you're my special girl."

Maybe she was a greedy person, because that was not enough. Not anymore. While she was a child, she was content to be his special girl; as an adult, Setsu wanted to be his woman.

Surprising him with her hurt look, she moved away from him.

"Well, then I guess that it sets all, does not it? I will never be more than a little sister to you." Cain became visibly troubled and opened his mouth to speak, but Setsu did not let him. "Which means the problem persists. _I_ persist. I have not forgotten you even after seven years of trying. And now you're here, trying to take me to the place where I was constantly blamed for loving you; where the family leeches used to say that the remorse for killing my mother made me crazy enough to distort what should be a fraternal relationship into something wrong and dirty." Setsu sighed heavily and shuddered. "I would rather die than go back to that life."

Her last words, spoken in a whisper, terrified him.

"Never say that again! Do not even _think_ about it!"

He was deadly serious and virtually desperate. His mother had committed suicide; losing Setsu in the same way would be his end.

"I do not know what to do." Her voice sounded pathetic to her own ears. As much as she wanted to shrink in a corner and lick her wounds, she had bottled up so many feelings that she could not stop their flow after the cork popped. "Today's date was my last resort. I thought maybe... if you felt a little attracted to me..."

The understanding Setsu longed for struck him like lightning, bewildering him for a moment. Cain prided himself on his wit, hence his surprise to deduce so belatedly, what she had done. Every time she walked half-naked in front of him, forcing him to look away, and every insinuating phrase she had said in the months of cohabitation were not 'Setsu doing her thing', but deliberate acts with the sole purpose of seducing him. Every encounter with an older man he was forced to witness was an attempt to mitigate the age difference between them. But above all else... _he_ was the mysterious guy she had waited for over an hour. The lucky son of a bitch. The heartless bastard. The motherfucker who would replace him in her life.

And to think that he had entertained himself by thinking of ways to disappear with himself and giving himself names that were not at all flattering or polite, while Setsu was waiting for the moment when he would sit in the empty chair before her.

The irony of the situation did not go unnoticed, but there was something else that demanded his attention. An unprecedented sensation, warm and liquid, had spread rapidly throughout his body from the chest. That could only be euphoria, because he felt capable of conquering the world.

Oblivious to what was happening inside him, Setsu continued in her outburst.

"That's why I cannot go home. I would only cause more-"

His move was so fast and unexpected that she did not immediately identify what was happening. Then, when she realized his lips were covering hers, Setsu kissed him back. After all, whatever miracle had made him kiss her, she did not want to risk him changing his mind.

* * *

She was adorable for not being able to decide what to do with her small, shaking hands, which wanted to be everywhere at once. Her eagerness to entangle him even more in a web of seduction was as evident as unnecessary, as Cain had no intention of letting her go, but he could not stop kissing her to tell her that.

As much as he had loved the dress she was wearing, he wanted her out of it. And fast. However, the damn zipper was stuck and Setsu's hand was inside his pants. If it was difficult to handle the zipper while she kissed him and nibbled on his neck, after her hand began to stroke him vigorously it became impossible.

Fuck the zipper. He was in a hurry, she was driving him crazy and the biggest advantage of a dress is that it can be lifted. He was just slapping it together, he knew, but the sight of her tiny, fragile panties rewarded him and made him remember every time he had fantasized about ripping that thing off.

"I'll get you a new one."

She gasped as she felt the pull. He moaned as he looked down.

 _That_ was art. Cain knelt, because it was in his subconscious that one must kneel to revere. Or to beg. Or to pray. Or in submission. Anyway, it was appropriate that he was on his knees. And kneeling while she was panting, he appreciated the curves of her legs and hips. The white skin, tainted by the angry mark in her left hip thanks to the abrupt pull that had torn her panties. The inviting nest of hairs that showed a tempting pink button.

She was the sight he wanted to take to the grave and beyond it, whatever the Hell that awaited him. Because Setsu was his paradise, and he was a sinner unworthy of such a gift. There would certainly be exemplary punishment for that transgression, but Cain did not care. Not when she was so tempting that his mouth was dry. Not when he knew where there was a fountain waiting for him.

Soon she was moaning and whimpering melodiously, which amazed him. Setsu was not just a living sculpture and a banquet: she was also an orchestra. True delight to the senses as she melted sweetly under the thirsty attack of his mouth.

His position was uncomfortable, but Cain could spend hours in it. His knees hurt, but this pain could not be compared to the penance he deserved for committing that sin and not repenting. On the other hand, he would never say the same about Setsu's discomfort. She was precariously balanced on one leg, the other resting on his shoulder as he delighted in her. It would not be long before her knee gave in, if the tremor in her delirious voice and the strong tugs on his scalp were reliable signs. Then, with a last intimate kiss, he stood up and held her against the wall.

She was a mess, breathing heavily through her mouth and barely keeping her eyes open and focused. Her dress was crumpled around her breasts and Cain felt a pang of guilt over not having freed her from the garment. Setsu did not seem to care, though. Surprising him once more, she finished removing the dress and her bra and silently offered her delicate breasts.

She was an angel, right? _He_ was a demon. So how could she be tempting him?

The humility with which Cain accepted the offer succumbed to the masculine pride of seeing her sensual response to his touch. For so many times he reproached himself for wanting her, imagining himself the worst kind of person, that it was ironic that she had seduced him to the point where she leaned on his shoulders, circled him with her legs and slid him inside her.

Cain closed his eyes and surrendered to the feel of her body, moving against and around him. However, even though his senses were concentrated on extracting pleasure from the intoxicating moist heat that were compressing him and from the reactions of her body to his ministrations, he did not ignore the possibility that the friction with the wall would hurt her. Therefore, Cain took her to bed.

* * *

The clarity of the day eventually woke him up. Disoriented for a moment, his eyes caught the sleeping woman on his chest.

Cain smiled, captivated. No wonder she looked so exhausted.

Recalling the events of the previous day, his smile widened. When he had awakened to the smell of the strong coffee that Setsu was preparing as she hummed the jingle of a toothpaste commercial, he never imagined that in a few hours she would be in his arms and eager to undress him. Even less so that he would perform one of his secret and shameful erotic delusions by tearing her panties and fucking her against the wall.

Stroking her back gently so as not to wake her, Cain remembered the feel of her breasts against his palms and the hard nipples between his fingers as he pulsed in her warm silk interior. Then he remembered how she clenched him deliciously and gasped in his ear as she climaxed.

He watched her with absolute adoration as Setsu slept soundly. So deeply asleep, that perhaps he should not have entered the shower with her after they made love for the first time, because he obviously would not resist the call to turn the bath into foreplay. And as much as it was reasonable that he had wrapped her in the towel before taking her back to bed, where he dried her carefully so she would not get sick, maybe he should not love her again.

Not that he was sorry for any of his acts. Nothing could be more wonderful than feeling her hand around him. Or her mouth, trying to swallow him whole. Nothing could make him happier than seeing her tempting body and every one of her delicious reactions to his attentions. However, perhaps he had been greedier than he should have, because he had exhausted her. Setsu was giving no indication that she would wake up anytime soon and they were running late.

Not for work, no. Their letter of resignation would be the second document they would sign that day. The first, for which Cain was really anxious, involved giving Setsu a document with his surname.

A legal one.

 **EPILOGUE (BONUS CHAPTER)**

 _"Are you sure?"_

 _"Well, judging by their expression when they returned and by the way they walked hand in hand, I'd say Cain finally succumbed."_

 _"Great! Great! I am sure the two will get married soon."_

 _"And that makes you happy? Are you not at all sorry for losing your granddaughter?"_

 _"I will not lose her. In fact, I got her back, and I still added Cain to the family. The result could not have been better. I think he will soon convince her to pay me a visit, and we will all be a family again. Maybe I even get a great-grandson!"_

 _"Congrats then."_

 _"Thank you. But, changing the subject, how are the other girls? Any progress?"_

 _"Hm, maybe... Do you remember the polite girl who asked for a job because she was being threatened by moneylenders?"_

 _"The one who was cheated by her childhood friend, who used and abandoned her with the huge debt he contracted?"_

 _"The one and only!"_

 _"How could I forget her? What about her?"_

 _"Well, a foreigner came in for a drink and ended up watching her show. Let's say he was very interested in the girl. At first, I thought he was just another guy thinking this place is a brothel, but he seemed genuinely concerned. He said he was a childhood friend of hers, so I thought he was the same guy who abandoned her. I told Cain to be ready to teach him a lesson, if it was really him... in fact, it would be an interesting fight to see, because the two have the same built and a dangerous glint in the eyes, but the fight never happened… The foreigner is another childhood friend. The poor girl was very moved and relieved to see him. Something about broken wings or whatever. I let them talk in my office for a while. When they were finished, he sought me out before he left to ask me the names of the moneylenders."_

 _"Oh? Do you think he's going to pay her debt?"_

 _"Either that or he's out for blood. Though obviously rich and angel-like, there is something dangerous about him."_

 _"...Foreigner, did you say? Same size as Cain?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"Blond and green-eyed, by any chance?"_

 _"Yes! Do you know him?"_

 _"...I need to go; I have some phone calls to make. Oh, before that, I've been thinking about changing the name of the club. How about 'Love Me Section'?"_

 **A/N - ...Sequel?**

 **To anyone who is in doubt about the epilogue, yes, Lory is a mastermind. He is the hidden Boss of the Pink Flamingo. Setsu was working for her grandfather and did not even know XD**

 **My early planning included Setsu as a stripper, but during the second chapter, I realized that someone like Cain would take her off the stage immediately and carry her back to Lory if that was the case. Therefore, I had to rethink my original idea, hence the delay in the update.**

 **I used part of Prisoner's PV in the plot. So this fic is basically a crazy mix between "Ren + Maria", "Cain + Setsu" and "Prisioner".**

 **As for the way I wrote the lemon, I have a clear picture of Cain as a man obsessed with Setsu and very passionate, so I tried to convey that.**

 **Hugs and see you next time!**


	12. Chapter 12

**The events of this chapter take place almost simultaneously and after the final part (bonus chapter) of the previous chapter.**

 **CHAPTER 12 - ABOUT ANGELS AND DEMONS (PART 3/4)**

Kuon looked away from the headlights of the car emerging at the end of the alley. Around him, three men moaned and tried to get up while he held an unconscious henchman by the collar.

Four men got out of the car and aimed pistols at him. They hissed threats, curses, the usual attempts at intimidation. Kuon just sighed, bored. Some things would never change.

One of their cell phones rang, interrupting their death threats. Kuon never understood why gangsters wasted time on threats. If they really meant to kill him, they would have already pulled the trigger. No doubt, they had realized that he was not an ordinary person, because an ordinary person would not hunt gang members in the middle of the night.

Therefore, they were being cautious, trying to figure out who he was before shooting so as not to risk eliminating a bigger fish. After all, this would provoke the wrath of an entire shoal.

A man in dark glasses, even though it was night, answered the cell phone. He looked like someone straight out of a cliché movie and was obviously the leader of that group. A few seconds were enough for him to visibly pale and mumble apologies to the person on the other end of the line before he put the gun away and signaled his companions to do the same.

Only one person could provoke that reaction in the fucking mafia. Kuon sighed with boredom once more. Some things would definitely never change.

"Sir, my sincere apologies for the misunderstanding."

"...Misunderstanding?"

"W-we didn't know the girl was your friend."

Kuon spat blood on the floor. One of them had managed to hit him in the face.

"Oh?" The man Kuon was still holding by the collar regained consciousness and groaned. "I didn't know that bothering girls about other people's debts was part of the procedure. At least, that is not how we did it in my day."

That comment made it clear that they did well not to shoot. They were dealing with a bigger fish, indeed.

"The… guy who lived with her disappeared, Big Brother. The girl was the only way to-"

"She was the _easiest_ way to get the money back, not _the only_ way."

The men swallowed hard. Kuon released the henchman he was holding and his head collided with the floor, knocking him out again. Impassive, Kuon took a cigarette and lit it, realizing that his bloody knuckles were swelling rapidly.

"Well, how much does she still owe?"

The men were quick to shake their heads, as the leader was the only one allowed to speak.

"N-nothing, Big Brother. She has no debt to us. "

Kuon took a long drag and looked up into the starless sky of that megalopolis, relishing that miracle. More than seven billion people in the world, and he had found her again.

However, this was not the miracle. Miracle was that there was someone like her in that fucked up world.

"Not only does she have no debt to you, as it seems to me that _you_ have a debt to her. After all, she spent several months giving you money for no reason other than coercion. And just thinking she was coerced makes me so fucking mad…!" The leader immediately grabbed a checkbook. His hand shook so hard it was difficult to sign it. "Don't forget to add an extra for the inconvenience."

The man immediately discarded the check he had just signed and filled in another. He only breathed again when Kuon smiled at the value.

"W-Want a lift, Big Brother?"

"...No. I like to walk at night." Before leaving, however, Kuon remembered to provide the gang with important information. "Oh, by the way. The guy who really made the debt with you… he's definitely _not_ my friend."

The gang members bowed respectfully to Kuon as he left. The message was clear, and this time the debt would not be paid in cash.

* * *

Kuon was surprised by the ease with which his entry was allowed at the nightclub. The establishment was closed, so they knew he was not there as a customer. Walking down the narrow corridor that would lead him to the apartments, Kuon located Kyoko's door and knocked, obeying the ' _don't touch me_!' sign taped to the doorbell.

Judging by her expression, she did not expect to see him anytime soon.

"Oh my God... Corn! Your face!"

He considered answering, "you should see the other guy," but the sight of her took his breath away and reminded him of how they had met again.

* * *

Kuon could not believe his luck... how fate seemed to have acted to bring them together. Not even his family knew he was in that country, and even if they found out, no one could guess that he was there because he had been missing his childhood friend as if he were going to die if he could not see her again.

As much as searching for her meant finding her married to the fucking prince charming, he had to try. However, Kuon could not imagine that he would discover that the two had fled together and no one knew their whereabouts. It was unlike her to act impulsively and contrary to the people who had raised her. Surely, the guy had convinced her to do something she would never normally do, which for Kuon was unforgivable. Kyoko was perfect the way she was, and no one had a right to change her.

She really loved the guy, was the only plausible explanation for that conduct.

Discouraged beyond words, Kuon drove to the capital, determined to give up looking for her, since the mere confirmation that they were together had been too painful. Thinking of drowning his sorrows, he went into the first dive he saw - a strip club where he would probably drink too much and get in trouble with the security guard, a big fellow who seemed able to offer him any challenge.

That was when they announced that 'Kyoko' would take the stage.

The name made him mock himself. Such a torture was deserved. Looking at the stage with undeniable grudge, Kuon was unprepared for the emerging angel. The hair, the eyes, the face, everything was exactly as it should be, considering that Kyoko-chan had become a woman. On the other hand... Kyoko-chan, a stripper?

It would be easier for him to become a priest.

Even so, he could not take his eyes off her. Her body meandered as she whirled and slid down the pole, her eyes narrowed and a placid smile on her face as if she was just enjoying the music. As if there was not a bunch of geezers at her feet fantasizing about fucking a schoolgirl, because that's what Kyoko looked like with her thin body, although she was already twenty.

The whiskey lay forgotten on the table. He only had eyes for her. Kuon did not want to admire her body, but it was impossible. One more sin for his collection, by all means. Of all the strangers watching her, she would surely be mortified if she knew he was in the audience. After all, it should be easier to undress in front of a stranger she would probably never see again than a childhood friend willing to be by her side for the rest of her life.

And speaking of childhood friend, where was the motherfucker who was supposed to take care of her?

Then a terrible thought struck him. Kyoko had left everything behind: the only home she knew, the only family she ever had... it would not be the first time that a vulnerable young woman is exploited by someone who has promised to protect or help her.

Kuon did not think twice before looking for the manager of the Pink Flamingo. He needed to make sure that the woman who had just left the stage was Kyoko-chan, because if it were, he would spare no effort to get her out of there and give her the whole world in return.

* * *

Returning from his reverie, Kuon watched Kyoko wander around the tiny apartment. After sitting him on an old couch, her mission became to provide ice packs for his injuries. She looked beautiful, though she wore a ridiculously pink shirt, with an even pinker flamingo on the front and so big that the collar hung over her left shoulder. It was probably an old T-shirt from some promotional campaign that had been forgotten in the warehouse before becoming a donation.

Shotaro Fuwa had not taken care of her. Worse, he had used her, exploited her, and abandoned her with his debt, leaving her no choice but to live and work in a pigsty.

Oblivious to his vicious thoughts, Kyoko handed him a bag of frozen peas to place on his left cheek. Then she knelt on the floor and pressed a cloth with ice to his right hand, the most injured of the two.

Her expression was so distressed that he wanted to pull her into his lap and hug her. Instead, he flexed his hand a few times, purposefully increasing the bleeding on his knuckles. Kuon received the pain of the movement with gratitude, because Kyoko became even more distressed and soft lips replaced the fingers that were caressing him around the wounds.

She was kissing his hand so reverently that Kuon could die right there. Maybe she knew what he had done that night after all.

"Does it hurt a lot?" She asked in a whisper.

"A lot, yes."

It was a lie, but he needed more: more of that worried expression just for him; more of those big, clear eyes seeing him as someone worthy of admiration and care; more of those soft touches, so invigorating that he already felt like a new man.

"Poor thing. I have painkillers in the bathroom. "

As she rose from the floor, Kuon heard a strange sound from another room and looked inquiringly at Kyoko, who smiled.

"I forgot the bedroom television on."

He could have believed the lie if he had not seen panic cross her features for a second. However, Kuon was patient and waited for her to be in the bathroom before ascertaining the room.

And there he came across the unthinkable.

* * *

Kyoko spotted the painkillers as fast as possible, all the time praying for the person in her room to be quiet. Kuon had believed her lie, but she didn't know what he would do if he found out who-

The pill bottle fell from her hand as she looked at the couch and did not see him there.

Kyoko ran into the bedroom and saw him there with his back to her; arms raised upward holding her fourteen-month-old daughter. He seemed to examine her against the light, just as he had taught her to examine the corn stone so many years earlier. Kyoko could not see his expression, but she feared to see the same feelings she had saw in Yayoi and Saena's face when she, completely stunned, brokenhearted and penniless, sought them out for help: contempt and anger.

"Corn... please..."

She did not know what she wanted to ask. She just knew she was not enjoying seeing her little daughter so high above the floor.

"Did he know?" The baby smiled and wiggled her little legs when she heard his voice. Kuon smiled back and snuggled her on his shoulder, to Kyoko's relief. "He knew you were pregnant, and yet he left?"

Kyoko looked at the floor and nodded. Kuon's guttural sound of disapproval made her look back at him. His expression was something she had never seen, in him or anyone else. It was hatred in its purest state, but it vanished as quickly as it had arisen.

"That is, he got tired of the quiet and easy life that had fallen into his lap without him deserving it and decided it was time to be idolized. He came to the capital with the only girl who was generous enough to support him as he tried to succeed, regardless of the fact that it would ruin her dreams of graduation and alienate her from the only family she knew. Years later, he realized that stardom would not come as easily as inheriting a hotel and that he was just another artist among hundreds without a contract. Defeat can make people wiser and more humble, but in his case, arrogance kept him from returning to his parents' house and made him bitter."

Kyoko gaped at Kuon. He had magical powers if he could guess so much.

"Tell me, Kyoko-chan... how many times did he hit you to vent his frustration?"

She was not ready for that conversation. Maybe she would never be.

"How many times did he try to convince you that everything was your fault? And how many times did you buy it?"

Kyoko covered her mouth to stifle the weeping. Her daughter had gone back to sleep, and she did not want to wake her up.

Rosa had seen her mother cry too many times.

"When he found out you were pregnant, you not only lost your usefulness but also became a hindrance. So he borrowed money from loan sharks and left."

Her stunned silence was the confirmation he needed. The bastard had just been sentenced to a slow and painful death.

"I'm really stupid, aren't I? Used and discarded... just like my mother. "

Kuon seemed to think of her sobbing words for a few seconds.

"You're so much better than your mother that it's hard to compare the two of you. You love your daughter and would never give up on her like your mother did to you." Kuon put the sleeping baby in the crib and watched her with a smile on his face. "The only thing you two have in common is the undeniable ability to give birth to the most adorable little girls in the world."

Kyoko cried even more after hearing such words, hugged him tightly when she felt his arms around her and allowed him to guide her to the bed, where the two lay still hugging.

She fell asleep quickly. Kuon, for his part, reflected on how that puzzle finally made sense. Kyoko was a hard-working girl, the kind who would take up three part-time jobs before turning to a strip club. However, she had a huge debt to pay and a baby to raise on her own.

There were not many places willing to employ a single, low-educated mother, however smart, hardworking, and capable she was.

 **A / N - Fulfilling requests, here is the sequel. Last chapter coming soon (I hope).**

 **Yes, Lory has something to do with the call the gang leader received XD In the bonus part of the previous chapter, Lory ended the call by saying that he needed to call other people.**


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13 - ABOUT ANGELS AND DEMONS (PART 4/4)**

Kyoko lay staring at the ceiling. In her chest, she was cradling the two papers she had found on the bedside table: a check of a scandalous amount, signed by one of the guys who used to threaten her every month for more money, and a note from Corn.

 _Good morning Kyoko-chan_

 _We went out for a walk. We'll bring breakfast. By unanimous vote, we decided it was best to let Mommy get some more sleep._

 _Love_

 _Kuon and Rosa_

Kyoko could not define which of the two papers had made her more emotional, to the point that it took several minutes to calm her unbridled heartbeat. After all, the chance of a fresh start had come as unexpectedly as Corn's visit, and only thanks to him. As if that was not enough, he had accepted Rosa, proving that her fear of being rejected by him was unfounded.

Not even a fairy would always be able to give her what she needed most, which made her rethink her childish appreciation and realize that she had confused the creatures: with his looks and great wings, Corn was actually an angel.

Kyoko smiled when she heard the apartment door open and close. The unmistakable sound of bags, footsteps, and childish babbling warmed her heart. She could imagine them at that moment, Corn holding her daughter with one arm while the other carried the breakfast. At the muffled sound of his voice, muttering something to Rosa, followed the excited squeals that confirmed that she was loving the attention.

Too bad that situation was bound to end. Corn, being an angel, had appeared just to help her. Having accomplished his mission, he would soon return to the cloud where he lived, a place too magnificent and pure for anyone like her.

Suddenly saddened, Kyoko cringed on the bed. After all he'd done for her in less than thirty-six hours, it was shameful to want him to stay by her side forever. Corn deserved more than a used and discarded woman. More than a stripper. More than the mother of another guy's daughter. In fact, she did not even know where those thoughts had come from, because Corn was way above her to be even her friend, what to say about something more.

No matter how wonderful it had been to fall asleep in his arms, such an event would never happen again. It was just a sympathetic gesture on his part, nothing more. She was fine now, with enough money to quit her job, move to a child-safe apartment, and go back to school.

That is, it was a matter of time before he said goodbye for good.

* * *

After spending the night watching videos and reading Internet articles about early childhood, Kuon considered himself fit for 'the diaper change mission'.

"Oh my... oh my God! How did you...? Heck, nobody said anything about a biological weapon!"

Rosa laughed and he smiled. Kyoko, despite covering her mouth to stifle a laugh, was still heard. Kuon looked back straight at her as he blinked rapidly. His eyes were watering, but he smiled even more when he saw her.

"Oh no, we woke mommy up. We did not want to do that, did we?"

Rosa squealed and waved her arms, happy to see her mother, who in turn did not look as happy as Kuon had expected.

"I don't know how to thank you for this." She held up the check she was holding with trembling hands. Kuon considered answering that a smile would suffice, but he knew that nothing about her was that simple, so he just shrugged.

"No need to thank me, it was no big deal."

 _No big deal_. The best and most significant twist of her life, and he did not expect gratitude.

"It was more than a big deal: it was _amazing_. And irresponsible. I do not know how Corn did it, but please do not put yourself in danger like that again."

Kuon looked at her for a long time, trying to decipher in her so sincere eyes what was disturbing her, but Rosa was growing impatient.

"Why don't you set the table while I finish here? Not that I think I'll be able to eat anything after this diaper..."

The last sentence was said in a whisper, but Kyoko heard him and managed to laugh before heeded his suggestion.

A few minutes later, the two sat facing each other while Rosa played with a stuffed bunny on a rubberized floor mat. The dining table was so small that their knees would occasionally touch, and whenever that happened, Kyoko was startled.

Kuon knew her well enough to know she was thinking unnecessary things like, "How am I going to reward you?", "I'm so worthless," "I'm no good for Corn," and blah, blah, blah. Her face oscillated between anger and sadness so fast it was fascinating to watch, but he was already tired of seeing her assuming so much.

It was time to stop her from assuming he was leaving and that she was a hindrance and start making her believe he was crazy about her and he was not going anywhere where his little new family was not.

"I like what you are wearing."

Kyoko blinked a few times. Had she really heard that?

Kuon just smiled when he saw her incredulous expression. Not the playful smile of when they were children, but a very masculine and very adult smile.

For the first time, Kyoko realized that she was wearing the same outfit as the previous night: too big a t-shirt, panties... and nothing more. In fact, she had slept like this. Beside him. In a bed too narrow for two people.

Kuon watched, satisfied, the flush spreading over her face. The wide collar showed her left shoulder. A bare shoulder that showed she was wearing no bra, by the way. Yes, sleeping next to her had taken all of his self-control. It was hard not to look down where the shirt ended and long legs began, especially after the shirt had come up and part of her panties had been exposed.

Too stunned to speak, Kyoko popped an oversized piece of muffin into her mouth and tried to focus on anything but him, but such a task seemed impossible. Like any suppressed desire, thinking of Kuon as more than a friend had taken her mind by storm and created deep roots that grew faster than she could pull them out.

She was lonely, that was a fact, but it was still not enough argument to bridge the gulf between them. However, something about his way of looking at her made her believe otherwise.

Kyoko pressed one knee against the other, disturbed. A man sipping coffee from a takeaway cup should not be so exciting. Her fascination by the bandaged hand around the cup embarrassed her and made her look away.

An honest mistake. Looking at his face, Kyoko realized that Kuon was staring at her suddenly hardened nipples. His eyes took no more than three seconds before they met hers over the rim of his cup, and there was no trace of regret or embarrassment at being caught.

The kitchen has never been so stuffy.

Kuon, in turn, watched her, watching him and seeing him as if it were for the first time, because, in a way, it was. There was a new tension between them. A tension for which he was extremely grateful because it represented undeniable progress.

At that moment, Kyoko was exploring the world behind the curtain with timid, uncertain steps, but at least she was walking towards him, who had always been there waiting for her. Kuon was enjoying that she was finally seeing him as a man, identifying in him exactly what he wanted her to see: that he was someone willing to be her provider, her protector, her friend, and her lover. He would know how to take care of her and her daughter, which could not be more aphrodisiac for a single mother accustomed to rejection.

Maybe Kyoko would consider him a damn sociopath if she knew how determined he was to belong to that little family, to the point of teaching Rosa-chan to call him Daddy. He knew he was crossing a line, but he was not ashamed of it. After all, he had already made the mistake of letting her go to another guy, and the result had been abuse and abandonment.

He would not do such stupidity again.

Kyoko got up hurriedly, thanked him for the meal looking at the floor and almost ran to the bathroom. Impassive, Kuon picked Rosa off the mat, where she was still playing with the bunny, and took her to the bedroom for a nap.

* * *

Kyoko was absorbed doing the dishes and stammering incomprehensible words. She wished she had changed clothes, but Corn was still in the room lulling Rosa. From the kitchen, she could hear him muttering a Russian lullaby. The last time she saw them, her daughter was curled up on his shoulder and struggling to stay awake as she played with a blond strand of his hair. Corn, in turn, rocked from side to side as he hummed and caressed her little back.

The whole scene was so sweet it almost knocked her out. At the same time, Kyoko was surprised at how exciting it was to see a man being fatherly.

"Kyoko-chan?"

She jumped and shrieked before looking at him. Kuon, his face very serious, was looking at her with his index finger on his lips.

"Be careful not to wake Rosa-chan."

Hypnotized by the heat in his eyes, Kyoko just nodded and swallowed hard as he walked toward her, until he stopped very close and held her face.

Her eyes were drawn to his lips when Kuon smiled.

"Your face is so red... it makes me think... that maybe Kyoko-chan feels attracted to me." She did not know what to do. She did not even feel able to breathe. No one had looked at her that way before. "It makes me hopeful..."

His thumb stroking her bottom lip prevented her from squeezing more than a moan from her contrite throat. In the next second, Kuon kissed her, and it was as if a sudden explosion occurred in her body. The hands that had been holding the kitchen counter clung to him and she moaned loudly when she felt his erection.

"Shhhh..." She whimpered as he abruptly ended the kiss. Both were panting. "You need to be very quiet, okay?"

Kyoko immediately nodded. She would agree with anything he proposed at that moment, as long as his hands kept going up her legs and under the hideous shirt. When he reached her hips, something primal ignited her blood, making her kiss him hungrily as he lowered her panties to the floor. When his fingers touched her, Kyoko just did not scream because his hand was quick to cover her mouth.

Kuon swore under his breath as he felt her ready. More than wanting, he needed to be inside her with unprecedented urgency. Her hands under his shirt, though wet and cold from the dishes she had been washing, did no good to appease his desire.

By the way she writhed and shivered, he was quickly leading her to the climax. It was delicious, but he wanted to be inside her when that happened.

Of all the times he had fantasized about having her in his arms, none included a clandestine fuck against the kitchen wall, but this was as far as possible from the only room, where Rosa was sleeping, and if she woke up, it would be game over.

Besides, he had to take that opportunity before Kyoko could reject him with an absurd argument like "you're too good for me."

"Kyoko-chan, to the wall."

"Hm?"

The sight of her, dizzy and breathless, her eyes shiny and unfocused, almost made him come.

"Let's go to the wall."

She understood him this time, because she obeyed the command even though her legs seemed contrary to the idea of moving.

The way she used her lips and teeth to play with his earlobe and neck made it difficult to take off his shirt, open his confining pants, touch her breasts, play with her nipples, kiss her, and mark her neck, all at the same time. He vaguely thought it was very wrong for him to have only one mouth and two hands, because such amounts were insufficient for all he wanted to do.

To make matters worse, there was the fact that she was deliciously vocal under his care, which would be wonderful if not for the need to be silent. Then, in what he considered to be his brightest moment, Kuon freed her from the huge T-shirt and wrapped it like a rope.

"Bite."

Kyoko promptly obeyed. As much as there was the inconvenience of no longer feeling her mouth, at least he could focus only on pleasuring her. In addition, she was gloriously naked, which was a bonus.

With a quick movement, he sat her down at the table where they had eaten breakfast less than an hour before and made her lie down. Although the table was small, it was large enough to accommodate her from hip to head, but not sturdy enough to support their weight combined. Therefore, Kuon stood and looked at her, seeing her shy and red, panting and needy. His hands slid from her newly marked neck to her breasts, which rose and fell rapidly with each breath, past the apparent ribs - he could tell she had been skipping meals in the near past, something he would never allow to happen again - and they reached her belly, which tightened under his touch.

Kuon heard her breath quicken as his hands went down her body, but instead of stopping at her sex, he directed them to her legs until they reached her knees, which he lifted until her heels were resting on the table's edge.

Kyoko instinctively tried to cover herself, but Kuon was quicker to hold her hands.

"Please, Kyoko-chan... I want this so badly ..."

His voice was so low and hoarse with desire that his tone sounded different. Mesmerized, Kyoko could only widen her eyes as his head came down, almost in slow motion, between her spread legs.

She jolted at the first contact. It was the first time anyone had done that to her and the feeling was so wonderful that any shame about the wet sounds she was hearing faded quickly. The pressure inside her increased overwhelming with each lick and suck, but before her body shattered into a thousand bright spots, Kuon rose from the floor.

Through narrowed eyes, she saw his hungry expression as he dabbed his chin with his arm, took a pack from his back pocket, ripped it open, and deftly put the condom on.

 _How considerate_ , she thought vaguely as he positioned himself in her opening. Then his eyes searched hers, and for a second the world stopped.

"I love you, Kyoko-chan."

She did not realize she was crying because all that mattered at that moment was Kuon, loving her carefully and caressing her reverently as his body moved. The orgasm came fast for both of them, and he urged her to look at him as she came. Male pride, she supposed, unaware that he wanted to penetrate her mind so deep that he would be ingrained in her, to the point that nothing and no one could tear them apart.

When the euphoria subsided enough for Kyoko to come to her senses, Kuon was still shaky and panting, sitting on the kitchen floor with her on his lap as he kissed her forehead and dried her tears. The hot pink T-shirt lay still twisted beside them, and they could see damp teeth marks on the fabric.

The shirt, however, was not the only thing lying on the floor.

"...Corn...?"

"Hm?"

"...Did you go to the pharmacy on the way to the cafeteria?"

He sighed in resignation. It was a matter of time before she realized how calculating he could be, but Kuon hoped she was already in love with him when the good-boy mask fell off.

"Yes."

"... So, did you buy...?"

"The condom, yes. And diapers, because we had few. And bandages for my hand."

"Oh."

She touched his hand softly, and Kuon took the opportunity to entwine his fingers in hers, praying that the gesture would be enough to keep her from moving away from him.

"...Corn...?"

"Hm?"

"So, you had planned...?"

"To seduce you?" He waited for her to nod before answering. "Yes."

"...Why?"

"Because I love Kyoko-chan. I've always loved."

Kuon felt her cringe in his arms. As he hoped to have his feelings accepted, he could almost feel the gears working furiously in her head.

"...Corn...?"

"Hm?"

"...And Rosa-chan?"

He smiled with relief. If that was the only concern she had, there was nothing to fear. After all, Rosa was half Kyoko, which was more than enough for him to love her wholeheartedly.

"What about our daughter?"

Kyoko hugged him tightly and buried her face in his chest. So many tears of joy were still new to her.

 **BONUS CHAPTER**

 _"Kuon, my boy! Are you calling to invite me to be your best man?"_

 _"...The formal invitation must be on its way, so no, that's not why I called."_

 _"So to what do I owe the honor of your call?"_

 _"I need a favor."_

 _"And that's not why everyone calls me?"_

 _"Boss, please..."_

 _"I know, I know, you're tired of my drama. What can I do for you?"_

 _"...Actually, it's Ruto who can help me."_

 _"Oh? Do you want me to lend you my accountant?"_

 _"...It's not his accounting knowledge I'm needing, Boss."_

 _"Hmmm... and why do you need my cleaning man?"_

 _"Wait, I'll send you a picture."_

 _"..."_

 _"..."_

 _"Wow, what a mess!"_

 _"I know. I got carried away."_

 _"Impressive. It is almost artistic. Did you have something against his face?"_

 _"His face annoyed me, yes. Especially the cocky smile."_

 _"Well, he is not smiling now. Don't worry, I'm sending someone."_

 _"Someone? Not Ruto?"_

 _"No. I needed fresh blood in the organization, with your leaving and the leaving of another godson of mine. His name is Yukihito Yashiro, and I have a feeling you two will get along very well."_

 **THE END**


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